A Nigerian inmate at the Kaliti Prisons in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, has allegedly died of an undisclosed ailment.
Odemu Efe, who hails from Warri, Delta State, was part of over 150 inmates of Nigerian descent kept in the congested prison, The Nation reports.
They are being held for alleged possession of hard drugs and money laundering.
The newspaper quoted a source who said Efe died on July 13 because of poor medication after he took ill, adding that efforts to reach Nigerian officials over Efe’s deteriorating health failed.
The source said inmates at the prison fall ill frequently due to malnourishment as they are reportedly fed once a day with rice without sauce for an entire year.
The newspaper named a woman, Chika Nwachukwu, who accused Nigerian officials of neglecting their countrymen imprisoned in Ethiopia.
“As we speak, some inmates are very sick and they are not getting good medication. Nobody knows whether they will survive since Odemu died in a similar condition,” Nwachukwu was quoted saying.
She also appealed to the chairman of the South East Governors’ Forum who is the governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, to mobilise stakeholders in the region to free the inmates, whom she claimed were mostly from the South East.
