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An Abuja-based instrumentality firm, Deji Adeyanju and Partners, has written the Nigerian Senate, calling for urgent involution successful the plight of implicit 200 Nigerians allegedly being detained nether inhumane conditions successful prisons crossed the neighbouring Republic of Benin.
In a missive addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and dated September 16, 2025, the solicitors, led by quality rights lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju Esq., they said they were acting connected behalf of immoderate of the detainees successful Prison Civil De Adjagbo Abomey Calavi successful Benin Republic, including Ekene Bonaventure, Chigozie Chiedozie, and Hassan Ebbe, arsenic good arsenic implicit 125 different indigent Nigerians.
The instrumentality steadfast described the concern arsenic “a gross usurpation of the cardinal rights of these Nigerians” who they alleged were being held “without ceremonial charges, entree to just trial, (or) just hearing, amounting to harsh, inhuman and degrading attraction successful contravention of internationally accepted quality rights standards.”
They warned that the alleged maltreatment of the detainees contravenes planetary instruments binding connected some Nigeria and Benin Republic, including the ECOWAS Protocol connected Free Movement of Persons, Residence and Establishment (1979, arsenic amended) and the African Charter connected Human and Peoples’ Rights, ratified successful Nigeria arsenic Cap A9 of the Laws of the Federation.
The missive further claimed that galore of the detainees had been denied entree to ineligible assistance, aesculapian treatment, and basal necessities. “In fact, aforesaid has resulted successful the caller decease of 1 Salami Deyomi, from Lagos State, who died owed to overcrowding successful the situation compartment and deficiency of aesculapian attention,” the missive stated.
The lawyers urged the Senate, nether Akpabio’s leadership, to instrumentality 3 cardinal steps which see instituting a Senate fact-finding ngo done its committees connected Foreign Affairs, Diaspora Relations, and Human Rights to analyse the concern of Nigerians successful Beninese prisons, mandating the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerian Embassy successful Cotonou to unafraid consular entree to each detained Nigerians, and applying diplomatic and parliamentary unit to guarantee Benin complies with ECOWAS and African Union quality rights standards.
The instrumentality steadfast stressed that the credibility of Nigeria depends connected however powerfully it defends its citizens astatine location and abroad. “It is pertinent to enactment that the credibility of our beloved country—Nigeria—is measured by however powerfully it defends the rights and dignity of its citizens some astatine location and abroad,” the lawyers wrote.
A elaborate database of detainees, numbering implicit 120 names from antithetic Nigerian States, was attached to the letter. The steadfast besides indicated that determination were apt different Nigerians languishing successful assorted prisons crossed the Benin Republic who are facing akin conditions.
The missive was copied to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Chairman of the Nigerians successful Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), and the Embassy of the Republic of Benin successful Abuja.
As of property time, the Senate was yet to contented a effect to the petition.
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