President Bola Tinubu has dispatched a high-level delegation to Ethiopia to bring home nearly 300 Nigerians held at Kaliti, a maximum-security prison.

The delegation includes the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Attorney-General. Their mission is to sign an agreement with the Ethiopian government to transfer these inmates back to Nigeria, where they will serve out their sentences.

The move comes after alarming reports of deteriorating health and harsh conditions at the prison. Several prisoners have died due to what advocates describe as neglect.

For years, families and advocacy groups have called on the Nigerian government to intervene. Most of those detained were arrested for drug-related offences while passing through Ethiopia.

The repatriation deal offers a chance for the prisoners to serve their terms closer to home, under better conditions.