The Coalition of Lagos State Indigenous Groups (COLSIG) has issued a stern, cautionary warning to the Federal Government against granting undue concessions, diplomatic soft-landings, or special pampering treatment to Nigerian prisoners currently being slated for deportation or repatriation from Ethiopia and other international territories.
In an unyielding press statement released in Lagos over the weekend by the group's National Convener, Chief Adesunbo Onitiri, the socio-cultural organization argued that giving soft privileges to returned convicts would create a highly dangerous precedent, inadvertently encouraging criminality among citizens living abroad while undermining Nigeria's global reputation.
While acknowledging that every Nigerian citizen has a fundamental right to humane consular assistance, Chief Onitiri noted that the public must not forget these individuals were legally tried, convicted, and sentenced by competent foreign courts of law for severe criminal infractions.
COLSIG expressed immense institutional worry over the general tone of recent high-level public engagements with the inmates, warning state actors to execute bilateral prison transfer agreements with a deep sense of sobriety rather than executing steps that look like a glorification of lawless behavior.
"While government officials have a responsibility to attend to the welfare of Nigerians abroad, such engagements should be conducted in a manner that reflects the seriousness of the circumstances and does not inadvertently glorify criminal conduct," Chief Adesunbo Onitiri stated clearly.
"Lagos State should not be made the destination for repatriated convicts simply because it serves as Nigeria’s principal international gateway.
Such individuals should be received by the appropriate federal authorities and thereafter transferred through the proper channels."
The coalition insisted that any inmate processed out of Ethiopian facilities must be flown directly to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, for comprehensive administrative intake by federal security agencies before being deployed straight to designated maximum-security cells under the Nigerian Correctional Service to fully finish their sentences.
COLSIG reminded the presidency that Nigeria is already grappling with systemic internal security challenges, emphasizing that releasing un-rehabbed or prematurely pardoned offenders back into general society would severely damage the good name of millions of honest, law-abiding Nigerians working diligently across global borders.
#COLSIG #AdesunboOnitiri #EthiopiaRepatriation #PrisonerTransfer #LagosIndigenes #NigerianCorrectionalService #RuleOfLaw #AbujaIntake
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