Nigeria government pays for release of prisoners in Tanzania

The federal government in Nigeria has paid N23 million ($58,803) for the release of 60 Nigerians serving prison sentences in Tanzania. 

In a statement issued yesterday, the Head of Media and Public Relations in the Nigeria in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abdur-Rahman Balogun, said that most of the inmates were arrested for drug-related offences, with a few locked up on immigration charges. 

Mr Balogun explained that repatriation efforts had started before the coronavirus pandemic reached Nigeria, with arrangements in place as early as January 2020. 

Nigeria’s Ambassador to Tanzania, Dr Sahobi Gada, said he was able to secure the return of 60 prisoners out of 73 identified in the East African country. Nevertheless a mission has been sent out to ascertain whether more Nigerian citizens are imprisoned in Tanzania. 

"While the mission has joined other countries in making a plea for amnesty for Prisoners during this COVID- 19 period, the mission remains optimistic the Tanzanian Government would respond positively, while the mission will continue to work on repatriation, which was affected as a result of Covid-19,” he said. 

The Ambassador urged Nigerians abroad to stay safe during the pandemic and to obey the laws of the countries they were residing in, and to keep in touch with diplomatic missions where they lived. 

Photo: This Day