Pastor Benjamin Egbaji, a Nigerian clergyman imprisoned in the Benin Republic, was freed on Thursday after President Patrice Talon issued a presidential pardon.
In a statement released by her media assistant, Dr. Magnus Eze, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, affirmed this.
She claimed that Egbaji, a Cross River businessman, was detained in a Cotonou hospital under dehumanizing conditions after being charged with a crime.
She claims that the cleric’s health declined and he was detained for more than two years before being sent to jail custody.
She clarified that the legal foundation for his eventual release was a gazetted presidential amnesty dated December 17, 2025.
This came after my office’s persistent diplomatic pressure, which included my August 2025 visit to the jailed person at a hospital in Cotonou.
“A widely shared image of Egbaji shackled to a hospital bed sparked indignation among Nigerians and prompted the ministry to take immediate diplomatic action,” she stated.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu credited President Bola Tinubu’s dedication to citizen diplomacy as a central tenet of his foreign policy for the achievement.
According to her, the action was in line with the 4-Ds (Democracy, Demography, Diaspora and Development) foreign policy framework’s diaspora pillar.
The minister emphasized that after years of incarceration and deteriorating health, Egbaji must receive appropriate medical attention.
She went on to say that Nigeria had asked for his release so he could fulfill any outstanding jail sentence there.
She claimed that the development showed Nigeria and Benin’s continuing spirit of cooperation and fraternity.
She cited Alhaji Munir, the chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organization’s Benin branch, praising the ministry’s diplomatic involvement.
According to Munir, the initiative demonstrated a unique dedication to ensuring the well-being of Nigerians residing overseas.
Additionally, he encouraged increased diplomatic efforts to release innocent Nigerians imprisoned abroad and commended President Tinubu for defending Nigerians abroad.
