Bianca Ojukwu’s Ethiopia Prison Visit Was Diplomacy, Not Celebration of Crime — Onoh

Former presidential spokesman for the Southeast, Josef Onoh, has defended Foreign Affairs Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu against criticism over her recent visit to Nigerian prisoners in Ethiopia.

The controversy followed the circulation of a video showing the minister engaging cheerfully with inmates, an interaction criticised by Babafemi Ojudu.

Responding in a statement on Monday, Onoh said critics were focusing on the optics of the visit while ignoring the broader diplomatic success achieved through the Nigeria-Ethiopia Prisoner Transfer Agreement.

“It was with disappointment that I read Ojudu’s comments concerning the diplomatic engagement of Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, during her visit to Ethiopian prisons,” Onoh said.

He maintained that the minister’s actions reflected empathy and responsible diplomacy rather than sympathy for criminal behaviour.

According to Onoh, many of the inmates had spent years in detention, with some witnessing deaths in custody, making their emotional reaction understandable.

“Nigerian prisoners, some of whom had languished for years and witnessed deaths in custody, were finally seeing a path home. Joy, relief, and cultural expression in that context are natural human responses,” he said.

Onoh noted that prisoner transfer arrangements are a common international practice and should not be viewed as undermining justice. Instead, he argued, such agreements help facilitate rehabilitation while ensuring citizens receive appropriate consular assistance.

“Effective diplomacy is results-oriented. Ambassador Ojukwu delivered a tangible outcome: repatriation for over 100 Nigerians,” he stated.

The former presidential spokesman said the development reflects the citizen-centred approach of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda and the administration’s foreign policy priorities.

Concluding his remarks, Onoh praised the minister and the Tinubu administration for what he described as a commitment to protecting Nigerian citizens abroad.

“Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu and the Tinubu administration deserve commendation for prioritising Nigerian lives. Nigeria is moving forward,” he said.

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