The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has called on the Federal Government to urgently intervene in the reported detention of a Nigerian pastor, Alabo Ika Pere, and his 18-year-old son, David Alabo, in the Republic of Benin.
RULAAC, in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, on Wednesday, said the two Nigerians had reportedly been in detention in Cotonou since May 17, 2026.
The organisation said the family had initially given June as the date of arrest but later clarified that Pastor Pere and his son were arrested on May 17.
According to RULAAC, the duo are currently being held at the Maison d’Arrêt de Cotonou, also known as the Cotonou Civil Prison.
RULAAC said it had written to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Nigerian Embassy in Cotonou and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), requesting immediate diplomatic and consular intervention.
The organisation said the authorities needed to establish the circumstances and legal basis of the continued detention, ascertain the welfare of the detainees and ensure that their due-process rights were respected.
RULAAC said information supplied by the family and the leadership of the Greater Evangelism World Crusade, Island Branch, indicated that Pastor Pere, a certified underwater diver and underwater welder, travelled to Cotonou with David after being professionally engaged to carry out underwater welding work on a vessel.
According to the organisation, the family said law-enforcement officers subsequently boarded the vessel after the alleged discovery of contraband goods and arrested people found on board.
The family reportedly maintained that neither Pastor Pere nor David had any ownership interest in or operational control over the vessel.
They also reportedly denied any knowledge of or involvement in the alleged contraband, saying the pastor was on the vessel solely to perform the welding job for which he had been contracted, while David accompanied him as an assistant welder.
RULAAC, however, stressed that it had not independently established the circumstances surrounding the alleged contraband or the evidence available to the Beninese authorities.
It said: “We therefore consider immediate Nigerian consular intervention essential to establishing the facts.”
The organisation expressed concern over the length of time the father and son had reportedly spent in detention.
RULAAC said the family claimed that no formal charges had been communicated to them and that no trial was known to have commenced.
It added that the family remained uncertain about the precise legal basis for the continued detention.
According to RULAAC, a Cotonou-based lawyer, Barrister Jaurès Ahs, had reportedly been allowed to visit the detainees once, but the family and church had not been granted access to them.
RULAAC said the identification of the prison where the two men were being held should enable Nigerian consular officials to visit them and independently establish their welfare, legal status and conditions of detention.
“The prolonged uncertainty raises serious concerns about access to justice and observance of due process,” the organisation said.
While calling for intervention, RULAAC acknowledged the sovereign authority of Benin to investigate and prosecute offences committed within its territory.
“Nigerian citizenship cannot provide immunity from legitimate criminal investigation or prosecution abroad,” it said.
“However, suspicion of an offence does not extinguish a detainee’s fundamental rights.”
The organisation urged Nigerian diplomatic and consular authorities to establish the precise allegations against Pastor Pere and David individually, determine whether they had been formally charged and ascertain whether and when they had appeared before a competent judicial authority.
It also urged the Nigerian Embassy to establish the judicial orders, if any, authorising their continued detention since May 17.
RULAAC further called for an assessment of whether there was evidence individually linking either man to the alleged contraband.
The organisation cautioned against allowing criminal culpability to be inferred merely from their reported presence aboard the vessel.
RULAAC said the case engaged important protections under Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations concerning communication and access between consular officials and their nationals detained abroad.
It also cited Articles 6 and 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which relate to liberty, protection against arbitrary detention and the right to have one’s cause heard.
The organisation called on the Nigerian Embassy in Cotonou to urgently visit the two detainees at the Maison d’Arrêt de Cotonou, ascertain their physical and psychological welfare and conditions of detention, engage their lawyer and obtain authoritative information from the Beninese authorities on the allegations and proceedings against them.
It also urged the authorities to provide the family with accurate information about the legal situation and, subject to prison regulations, facilitate communication between the family and the detainees.
RULAAC expressed particular concern over David, who is 18 years old and reportedly travelled to Benin with his father as an assistant welder.
The organisation said his age and alleged subordinate role made it particularly important to determine what evidence, if any, connected him personally to the alleged offence.
“Criminal responsibility must be determined individually and on evidence,” RULAAC said.
“Mere presence at a location where suspected contraband is discovered should not, without evidence satisfying the requirements of applicable law, become a substitute for proof of individual criminal responsibility.”
RULAAC said it was not asking the Nigerian Government to obstruct a legitimate investigation or pressure Benin to release anyone against whom credible evidence of criminal conduct existed.
“Our position remains straightforward: if credible evidence exists against either Pastor Pere or David, the person concerned should be formally charged, given effective access to counsel and afforded a prompt and fair trial,” it said.
“If there is no credible evidence connecting either of them individually to the alleged offence, they should be released without further delay.”
The organisation said what should not be allowed was prolonged detention accompanied by uncertainty over the allegations, charges, judicial proceedings and prospects for resolving the case.
“With their reported place of detention now identified as the Maison d’Arrêt de Cotonou and their arrest date clarified as 17 May 2026, there should be no further delay in Nigerian consular authorities establishing their circumstances directly,” RULAAC said.
The organisation therefore urged the Minister of Foreign Affairs to direct immediate diplomatic engagement and the Nigerian Embassy in Cotonou to urgently visit the detainees and engage the relevant Beninese authorities.
It also called on NiDCOM to follow up on the case and work with the Ministry, the embassy, the lawyer and the family to ensure that the rights and legitimate interests of the two Nigerians were protected.
“The family deserves clear information. The detainees deserve due process. And after nearly four months in detention, Nigeria’s consular authorities should act with urgency,” RULAAC said.
