Five young Nigerian traders have successfully returned home after being detained for nearly a year without trial in Côte d’Ivoire, though the breakthrough was marred by tragedy as a sixth member of the group died just 24 hours after their release.
​The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, alongside the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, officially received the returnees at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
​The ordeal began in August 2025, when six young traders from Sokoto State—Aliyu Malami, Nasiru Umar, Shamsu Abubakar, Sa’adu Bello, Lyman Mohammed, and Usama Murtala travelled by road to Abidjan to trade in mobile phone parts. Upon arrival, they were arrested under suspicious circumstances and remanded at the notorious Maison d’Arrêt et de Correction d’Abidjan (MACA) prison.
​According to Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the Ivorian authorities failed to formally notify the Nigerian Embassy, leaving the Nigerian government completely unaware of their plight until April 2026.
​”There was no charge sheet. There was no trial. They were simply detained and taken to prison,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu stated, adding that a severe language barrier severely disadvantaged the men. “They could not speak English in an environment where French was spoken. They never really stood a chance.”
​Following intense, sustained diplomatic interventions initiated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerian Mission in Abidjan, the Ivorian government finally granted the traders their freedom on June 23, 2026.
​However, the intervention came too late for Usama Murtala. Having fallen severely ill due to harsh prison conditions and a lack of adequate medical attention, Murtala’s health deteriorated rapidly. Although rushed to a critical care hospital by embassy officials immediately upon release, he succumbed to his illness the following morning on June 24, 2026. Following Islamic rites and consultations with his family in Sokoto, he was buried on the outskirts of Abidjan.
​Speaking on behalf of the survivors, Aliyu Malami expressed deep gratitude to the Federal Government for saving their lives, recounting how a legitimate business trip devolved into months of trauma simply because they could not communicate with their captors.
​Moving forward, the Federal Government has declared that it will not let the matter rest. Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu confirmed that Nigeria will officially engage Ivorian authorities to demand compensation for the illegal detention and subsequent death of Murtala.
The Ministry has formally requested the Sokoto State Government to provide immediate rehabilitation, trauma counseling, and skill acquisition programs to help the five survivors rebuild their lives.
Officials emphasized that the rescue lines up with President Bola Tinubu’s “Citizen Diplomacy” initiative under the Renewed Hope Agenda, prioritizing the welfare of Nigerians abroad.
​The returnees have been provided with immediate relief packages from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and are expected to reunite with their families in Sokoto later this week.
