The Federal Government has announced the release of a Nigerian pastor, Benjamin Egbaji, who had been jailed in the Republic of Benin.
Egbaji, a businessman and cleric from Cross River State, was accused of several offences and held for more than two years in a hospital in Cotonou under what officials described as dehumanising conditions, as his health deteriorated. He was later transferred to a prison facility.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, disclosed the development in a statement.
According to the statement signed by her media aide, Mr. Magnus Eze, the pastor’s release followed sustained diplomatic engagement by the Nigerian government.
The statement said Odumegwu-Ojukwu secured Egbaji’s freedom after diplomatic pressure on the Beninois authorities.
It added that Egbaji was released on Thursday, January 8, following a presidential pardon granted by Benin Republic President, Patrice Talon.
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The minister explained that the gazetted presidential amnesty, dated December 17, 2025, came after consistent diplomatic interventions by her office, including a visit to Egbaji at a hospital in Cotonou in August last year.
She noted that a viral photograph showing the ailing Nigerian chained to a hospital bed had sparked widespread outrage among Nigerians, prompting immediate diplomatic action by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to secure his release.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu attributed the outcome to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to citizen diplomacy, which is a core pillar of his administration’s foreign policy under the 4-Ds framework of Democracy, Demography, Diaspora and Development.
The minister said she spoke with the pastor by telephone shortly after his release and confirmed that he was in high spirits, adding that he would require proper medical care.
Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had appealed to the Beninois authorities to release Egbaji to enable him access better medical treatment and, if necessary, serve the remainder of his sentence in Nigeria.
The ministry had formally requested his transfer after Odumegwu-Ojukwu visited him at the Cotonou hospital alongside Benin’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Olushegun Adjadi Bakari.
She had expressed Nigeria’s concern over delays by the Beninois authorities in resolving the matter, despite the longstanding cordial relationship between both countries built on shared culture, mutual respect and brotherhood.
In a letter to the Benin Republic Foreign Affairs Minister, Odumegwu-Ojukwu recalled that Egbaji had been serving a 10-year jail term since October 2023 and had lived in Benin for more than three decades as an entrepreneur, pastor and community leader.
She noted that his health had deteriorated significantly in detention, adding that two independent medical experts appointed by the court had recommended his transfer abroad for urgent medical treatment after local interventions failed.
The minister appealed for his repatriation to Nigeria on humanitarian grounds, stressing that the move would further strengthen the spirit of fraternity and cooperation between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin.
Reacting to the development, Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), Benin Republic chapter, Alhaji Mohammad Munir, commended Odumegwu-Ojukwu for what he described as effective and strategic diplomacy that led to Egbaji’s release.
Munir said the minister had demonstrated strong commitment to the welfare of Nigerians in the diaspora, praising President Tinubu for prioritising the protection of citizens abroad and calling for sustained diplomatic efforts to secure the freedom of innocent Nigerians detained overseas.
