July 2, 2026
According to Ojukwu, the men travelled to Abidjan to trade in phone parts but were arrested under unclear circumstances and detained at the notorious MACA prison without formal charges or trial since last year.
In a publication by Sahara Reporters, the Five Nigerian traders have returned home after spending almost a year in detention at the MACA prison in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, without being charged or tried, while another detainee who secured his freedom died before he could reunite with his family.
Nigeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu, announced the development on Thursday in a post on X, confirming the survivors' arrival while mourning the death of trader Usama Murtala, who was in his 20s.
According to the minister, the five returnees, Aliyu Malami, Sa’adu Bello, Nasiru Umar, Shamsu Abubakar and Lyman Mohammed, had travelled from Sokoto State to Abidjan to trade in phone parts before they were arrested under what she described as suspicious circumstances and detained without charge or trial.
“Finally home,” Ojukwu wrote. “Aliyu Malami, Sa’adu Bello, Nasiru Umar, Shamsu Abubakar, Lyman Mohammed, made it back from almost a year of imprisonment in MACA prison, Abidjan without charge or trial.
“Young lads who set out on a trading mission with hope, but their dreams were interrupted and circumstances unfolded in ways they least expected.”
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However, she noted that one of the detainees, Usama Murtala, did not survive to return to Nigeria despite eventually regaining his freedom.
“Usama Murtala, brother of Aliyu who was also detained did not make it back alive. He had seen freedom but did not live long enough to return home and enjoy it,” she said.
“For his family, it is pain in the silence of waiting for someone who will never walk through the home door again.”
She added, “May God be praised for his mercies, and for giving the survivors the fortitude to surmount this ordeal.”
The latest announcement follows an earlier account by the minister detailing the ordeal of the young Nigerians, who had left Sokoto by road in search of economic opportunities in Côte d’Ivoire.
According to Ojukwu, the men travelled to Abidjan to trade in phone parts but were arrested under unclear circumstances and detained at the notorious MACA prison without formal charges or trial since last year.
She disclosed that when the matter was brought to her attention in April, Nigeria’s diplomatic mission in Abidjan had not even been informed by the Ivorian authorities that the citizens had been arrested.
The minister said sustained diplomatic engagements by the Nigerian High Commission in Abidjan and the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs eventually secured the release of the detainees.
However, by the time they regained their freedom, Usama’s health had deteriorated significantly after months in detention under harsh prison conditions.
According to Ojukwu, officials of the Nigerian High Commission rushed him to a critical care hospital immediately after his release in an effort to save his life, but he died the following morning.
She described informing his family in Sokoto of his death as one of the most heartbreaking moments of her engagement as foreign minister.
Usama was subsequently buried on the outskirts of Abidjan in accordance with Islamic rites, in the presence of officials from the Nigerian mission and his fellow former detainees, in keeping with his parents' wishes.
The minister said the Nigerian government intends to pursue the matter with the Ivorian authorities, stressing that Usama’s death should not become “just another statistic.”
She also described the incident as a reflection of the plight faced by many young Nigerians who travel abroad in search of better opportunities but become trapped in unfamiliar legal systems without adequate support.
“This is the reality many of our citizens face when they travel in search of greener pastures,” she said in her previous post.
“We will be taking up Usama’s case with the Ivorian authorities.”