Popular businessman dies after release from prison

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu, has expressed grief over the death of a Nigerian trader, Usama Murtala, who died shortly after being released from detention in Côte d’Ivoire, describing the incident as a heartbreaking reminder of the risks many young Nigerians face while seeking better opportunities abroad.

In a post shared on X, Ojukwu revealed that Usama and several other young men from Sokoto travelled by road to Abidjan to engage in the phone parts business but were arrested under what she described as suspicious circumstances. According to her, they were detained at MACA Prison in Abidjan without charge or trial since last year.

The minister said the case came to her attention in April, prompting her to contact the Nigerian Embassy in Abidjan. She disclosed that she was surprised to discover the embassy had not been informed by the Ivorian authorities about the arrest of the Nigerian citizens.

Ojukwu said the detainees endured harsh prison conditions, with Usama’s health deteriorating due to inadequate medical care while in custody.

She explained that following sustained diplomatic engagements by the Nigerian Mission in Abidjan and interventions by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the detainees were eventually released. However, she said the moment of freedom turned tragic as Usama, whose condition had become critical, was rushed to a hospital by officials of the Nigerian High Commission but died the following morning.

According to the minister, Usama’s family in Sokoto had been eagerly preparing for his return home, unaware that he would never make the journey back.

She said the deceased was buried on the outskirts of Abidjan in accordance with Islamic rites, following the wishes of his parents, with his fellow former detainees and officials of the Nigerian Embassy in attendance.

Ojukwu announced that the surviving detainees — Aliyu Malami, Nasiru Umar, Shamsu Abubakar, Sa’adu Bello and Lyman Mohammed — are being brought back to Nigeria, where they would be received and welcomed home.

The minister described Usama’s death as symbolic of the plight of many young Nigerians who migrate in search of economic opportunities but become entangled in unfamiliar legal systems abroad.

She said the Federal Government would formally take up Usama’s case with the Ivorian authorities, stressing that his death should not become “just another statistic.”

Ojukwu also urged greater awareness of the dangers many Nigerians face while pursuing greener pastures overseas, saying Usama’s story reflects the human cost of migration, the fragility of hope and the painful reality experienced by families whose loved o

nes never return home.