The Federal High Court Abuja has ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) to bring back 270 Nigerians currently imprisoned or detained in Kaliti Prison, Ethiopia.
Justice Inyang Ekwo gave the order of mandamus compelling the ministry and NIDCOM to receive and return the imprisoned Nigerians consequent upon the decision and declaration of the Ethiopian government that it had no budget to take care of them.
He said: “I find that the applicants have made a credible case for this court to issue an Order of Mandamus to compel the 1st and 2nd respondents to perform their statutory functions and I hold.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the applicants; Sunday Mmaduagwu, Henry Anyanwu and Leonard Okafor, had filed the originating motion on notice.
They had sued NIDCOM, Foreign Ministry, the Senate, House of Representatives, the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN) and the Attorney General of Federation (AGF) as 1st to 6th respondents respectively, on behalf of Nigerians imprisoned in Ethiopia.
The motion was brought under Order II, Rules 1, 2 & 3 of the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, 2009 (hereinafter referred to as FREPR 2009) and Sections 6 (6), 34 (1), 35 (1), (4), and (6), 36 and 46 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
