Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, yesterday, ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) to bring back home at least 270 Nigerians imprisoned or detained in Kaliti Prison, Ethiopia.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has disclosed that its efforts to review the National Migration Policy (NMP) would curb untimely death, maltreatment, discrimination and other issues Nigerians encounter when they travel out
Ekwo gave the order in a suit filed by the trio of Sunday Mmaduagwu, Henry Anyanwu and Leonard Okafor, who listed NIDCOM, the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the National Assembly and the Attorney-General of the Federation as respondents in the originating motion on notice filed on behalf of Nigerians imprisoned in Ethiopia.
The motion was brought under Order II, Rules 1, 2 & 3 of the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, 2009 (hereinafter referred to as FREPR 2009) and Sections 6 (6), 34 (1), 35 (1), (4), and (6), 36 and 46 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Also cited in the suit were Articles 4, 5, and 6 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Cap A9, LFN 2004 (hereinafter referred to as ACHPRRE Act 2004) and under the inherent jurisdiction of the court.
The plaintiffs sought an order compelling the respondents to return Nigerians imprisoned in Ethiopian prisons consequent upon the decision and declaration of the government of the East African nation that they have no budget for their food, firewood, medicine and any other form of welfare, and on the face of their call for Nigeria to take them back to their home, among other reliefs.
In his ruling, the judge gave the order of mandamus compelling the ministry and NIDCOM to receive and return the imprisoned Nigerians consequent upon the decision and declaration of the Ethiopian government that it had no budget to take care of them.
He said: “I find that the applicants have made a credible case for this court to issue an Order of Mandamus to compel the 1st and 2nd respondents to perform their statutory functions and I so hold.”
THE Federal Government also identified flooding, banditry and displacement as some of the factors fuelling migration. Speaking at the Technical Working Group meeting on migration and development, the Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), Tijani Ahmed, said no fewer than 6.1 million Nigerians were displaced as of November 2024.
Ahmed added: “Migration is a very serious issue because it is both internal and international, and it is caused by displacements as a result of flooding, banditry and others.
“The revised NMP would ensure that we reduce the level of irregular migration in this country so that Nigerians will not only migrate regularly, but at least they will migrate to where they can have greener pasture.”
(Guardian)
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