The federal government has announced the release of Nigerian Pastor and businessman, Benjamin Egbaji, who had been detained in the Republic of Benin under reportedly harsh conditions for over two years.
Egbaji, a cleric and entrepreneur from Cross River State, was initially held in a hospital in Cotonou before being transferred to prison.
During his detention, his health reportedly deteriorated significantly, prompting concern from both Nigerians and the government.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, confirmed his release in a statement. According to the statement signed by her media aide, Magnus Eze, the release followed sustained diplomatic efforts.
The statement read: “Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has secured the release of a Nigerian national, Pastor Benjamin Egbaji, incarcerated in the Republic of Benin. The minister disclosed that Egbaji was released on Thursday, January 8, following a Presidential Pardon by His Excellency Patrice Talon. She noted that the gazetted presidential amnesty dated December 17, 2025, was on the heels of consistent diplomatic pressure from her office, including a visit to the detained citizen in a Cotonou hospital, August last year. A viral photograph of the sick-looking Nigerian citizen chained to a hospital bed in the Republic of Benin had attracted umbrage from many Nigerians. This prompted immediate diplomatic moves to secure his release by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Highly elated Odumegwu-Ojukwu attributed the diplomatic feat to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to citizen diplomacy as one of the thrusts of his administration’s Foreign Policy. The Diaspora component of the 4-Ds (Democracy, Demography, Diaspora and Development) foreign policy approach of the Renewed Hope Agenda centres on citizen diplomacy.”
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Speaking shortly after his release, the minister said she had spoken with Pastor Egbaji on the phone, noting that he was in high spirits and deserved immediate medical attention.
Prior to his release, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had formally requested that the Beninois authorities transfer Egbaji to Nigeria to receive proper medical care and serve the remainder of his sentence in a Nigerian correctional facility.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu, alongside the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Olushegun Adjadi Bakari, had visited Egbaji at the Cotonou hospital to assess his condition firsthand.
The minister highlighted that Nigeria was concerned about the slow response of the Benin authorities, despite the “longstanding cordial relations between the two countries, founded on shared cultural heritage, bonds of trust, mutual respect, and a spirit of brotherhood.”
In a letter to her counterpart in Benin, Odumegwu-Ojukwu wrote: “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 Benjamin Egbaji, who has been serving a custodial sentence in Cotonou since October 2023 for a jail term of ten (10) years. As Your Excellency may be aware, Pastor Egbaji has been 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. Two independent medical experts appointed by the court recently recommended that he be transferred abroad for urgent medical care, as local interventions have proved ineffective. In the spirit of our longstanding friendship and in recognition of the humanitarian imperative, not being unmindful of the grievous nature of the offence he is charged with, we kindly request that Pastor Egbaji be repatriated to Nigeria to serve out the remainder of his sentence in a Nigerian Correctional Centre.”
The minister noted that repatriating Egbaji would “demonstrate in practical terms the enduring spirit of fraternity and cooperation that binds Nigeria and the Republic of Benin.”
In response, Alhaji Mohammad Munir, Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), Republic of Benin chapter, praised Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu for her diplomatic efforts, describing her actions as a display of “uncommon commitment to the well-being of Nigerians in the diaspora.”
Munir also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for protecting Nigerians abroad and called for continued diplomatic efforts to assist other Nigerians facing incarceration in foreign countries.
