Nigeria Requests Evacuation Of Jailed Pastor Egbaji From Benin Republic Over Deteriorating Health

Nigeria has expressed concern over the deteriorating health of Pastor Benjamin Egbaji, a Nigerian national currently on trial in the Republic of Benin.

Egbaji, a businessman and cleric from Cross River State, has been detained in a hospital in Cotonou, the Beninese capital, for approximately two years.

Reports indicate he is held under inhumane conditions and his health is declining.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on Beninese authorities to release the Nigerian national to allow him to receive better medical care and serve out his sentence in Nigeria.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, stated that discussions with the Nigerian Mission in Cotonou indicated Pastor Egbaji’s health is steadily worsening, necessitating urgent and proper medical attention.

She affirmed that the Ministry has made significant efforts to assist Pastor Egbaji, in line with the citizen diplomacy thrust of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The minister, who visited Egbaji in the Cotonou hospital in early August alongside Benin’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Olushegun Adjadi Bakari, disclosed that the Ministry had requested the transfer of the Nigerian national to receive necessary medical care and complete his custodial term in Nigeria.

She expressed concern regarding the pace at which Beninese authorities are addressing the situation and responding to Nigeria’s request.

She urged the Beninese authorities to consider Nigeria’s request and expedite the release of the detained Nigerian pastor, citing the longstanding cordial relations between the two countries, founded on shared cultural heritage, bonds of trust, mutual respect, and a spirit of brotherhood.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu also disclosed that Nigeria’s position was further highlighted in a recent letter to the Government of the Republic of Benin.

She stated: “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 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,” she stated.

She reiterated that this gesture would tangibly demonstrate the enduring spirit of fraternity and cooperation that binds Nigeria and the Republic of Benin.