By Emmanuel Obisue
Federal Government has expressed deep concern over the deteriorating health condition of Pastor Benjamin Egbaji, a Nigerian national currently serving a prison sentence in the Republic of Benin.
Egbaji, a businessman and cleric from Cross River State, is reportedly being detained in a hospital in Cotonou under dehumanising conditions.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, made this known in a statement issued on Tuesday by her Special Assistant on Communication and New Media, Dr. Magnus Eze.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said reports from the Nigerian Mission in Cotonou indicated that Egbaji’s health had continued to deteriorate, requiring urgent and adequate medical attention.
According to her, the Ministry has urged the Beninese authorities to release Egbaji to enable him to access proper medical care and serve out the remainder of his sentence in Nigeria.
She said, “It is against this backdrop of solidarity and mutual goodwill that I seek Your Excellency’s kind consideration regarding the plight of a Nigerian national, Pastor Egbaji. He has been serving a custodial sentence in Cotonou since October 2023 for a 10-year jail term. As Your Excellency may be aware, Egbaji has lived in the Benin Republic for over three decades, contributing meaningfully as an entrepreneur, pastor and community leader. Regrettably, his health has deteriorated severely while in detention”.
She further noted that two independent medical experts appointed by the court in Benin had recommended that Egbaji be transferred abroad for urgent medical care, as local treatment had proven ineffective.
She said, “We kindly request that Pastor Egbaji be repatriated to Nigeria to serve out the remainder of his sentence in a Nigerian Correctional Centre, in the spirit of our longstanding friendship and cooperation. This appeal also takes into account the humanitarian imperative, even as we remain mindful of the gravity of the offence for which he was convicted”.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu emphasised that granting the request would be a practical demonstration of the enduring spirit of fraternity and cooperation that exists between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin.
She recalled that in August, officials from the Ministry, alongside Benin’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Olushegun Bakari, had visited Egbaji at the Cotonou hospital to further press for his transfer to Nigeria.
She said, “The Ministry remains concerned about the slow response of the Beninese authorities to address the situation and act on Nigeria’s request.”
