Nigerian cleric Pastor Benjamin Egbaji, who had been incarcerated in the Benin Republic, was released on Thursday following a presidential pardon granted by President Patrice Talon.
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, confirmed the development in a statement issued by her media aide, Dr. Magnus Eze.
She disclosed that Egbaji, a Cross River–based businessman, was arrested over an alleged offence and held under dehumanising conditions at a hospital in Cotonou.
According to the minister, the cleric spent more than two years in detention, during which his health deteriorated, before he was eventually moved to a correctional facility.
She explained that his release was secured through a presidential amnesty gazetted on December 17, 2025, which provided the legal framework for his freedom.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the breakthrough followed sustained diplomatic engagements by her office, including a visit to Egbaji at a Cotonou hospital in August 2025.
She noted that a viral photograph showing the cleric chained to a hospital bed sparked public outrage in Nigeria and prompted immediate diplomatic intervention by the ministry.
The minister attributed the successful outcome to President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to citizen diplomacy as a key component of Nigeria’s foreign policy, in line with the diaspora pillar of the Democracy, Demography, Diaspora and Development (4-Ds) framework.
She stressed the importance of ensuring Egbaji receives adequate medical care after years of incarceration and declining health, adding that Nigeria had requested his transfer to serve any remaining sentence at home.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the development underscored the strong bonds of friendship and cooperation between Nigeria and Benin Republic.
She also quoted the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), Benin chapter, Alhaji Munir, as commending the ministry’s intervention, describing it as a demonstration of rare commitment to the welfare of Nigerians abroad.
Munir further praised President Tinubu for protecting Nigerians overseas and called for intensified diplomatic efforts to secure the release of innocent Nigerians detained in foreign countries.