Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu
The Federal Government has vowed to launch a formal diplomatic challenge against the Ivorian authorities following the tragic death of a Nigerian citizen, Usama Murtala, who died in an Abidjan hospital just hours after being released from a year-long detention without trial.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, disclosed this in a statement posted on her official X handle on Tuesday.
According to the minister, the six young men, who travelled from Sokoto to Abidjan for the phone parts business, were arrested under what she described as suspicious circumstances and detained at MACA Prison without being charged or tried.
She said the ministry only became aware of their plight in April 2026 and was surprised to discover that the Nigerian Embassy in Abidjan had not been notified of their arrest by the Ivorian authorities.
