The three were detained in Nigeria while filming for the documentary We Were Never Lost, which aimed to explore the Jewish African experience.
Great news: Rudy Rochman, Andrew Noam Leibman and Edouard David Benaym, who were wrongfully detained in Nigeria are free. Full details: https://t.co/ESF7zpa2ZO pic.twitter.com/89Tj72Drss
— Michael Dickson (@michaeldickson) July 28, 2021
The filmmakers were reportedly arrested on charges of making contact with anti-government separatists. Their families said that the men were giving a Torah scroll to the Igbo – a small Jewish community in southern Nigeria – as a token of thanks. The scroll was donated by the Nigerian Jewish Youth Movement.
The Igbo consider themselves Jewish and to be one of the lost tribes of Israel, though this is not recognized by Israel or the Chief Rabbinate, so they are not eligible for citizenship via the Law of Return unless they formally convert.
However, some of the Igbo people are in a state of conflict with Nigeria. This conflict dates back to a unilateral declaration of independence in 1967, something that ignited a violent 30-month civil war that saw over a million people killed; the conflict has never fully ended. In November 2020, Nigerian soldiers reportedly destroyed six Igbo synagogues.
The host of the three Israelis, Ima Lizben Agha, was arrested by the Nigerian Department of State Services (DSS) as well. As of Wednesday evening, she was still being detained despite the three filmmakers having been released.
The three landed in Israel on Thursday morning.
The press statement on Wednesday stressed that the communities the three visited had "nothing to do" with a separatist movement. The statement added that "factually incorrect and inflammatory blogs" led the Nigerian government to suspect the team and take them into custody, confiscating their phones and passports.
"Rudy, Noam and David were caged and held for 20 days in horrendous conditions, locked into a small cell, sleeping on the floor with no access to showers or clean clothes," read the press release. "They were interrogated and mistreated without ever officially being arrested or accused of anything."
"Thanks to the efforts of the Israeli, US and French embassies, along with other diplomatic channels, families, and many caring individuals who helped in the process, as of July 28th the [We Were Never Lost] team has been officially cleared of any and all suspicions and, although their visas are still valid, have been instructed by the Nigerian government to leave the country immediately," added the press release.Foreign Minister Yair Lapid thanked the ministry's staff and the Nigerian government, as well as the vice-ambassador to Nigeria, Yotam Kreiman, for the efforts that brought to their release. "Israel emmissaries around the world proved once again that they are standing gaurd and assisting Israelis who have ran into trouble." Kreiman was in constant contact with the captives and with their families, and accompanied them to their flight to Israel. The three thanked the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the Israeli, US, and French embassies to Migeria for their efforts.Kreiman also thanked the Habad House of Abuja, who provided the captives with kosher food.
The team stated that they will continue working to tell the stories of the Igbo Jews.
The filmmakers arrived in Nigeria on July 6 to film We Were Never Lost, a documentary series about the mostly little-known African Jewish communities in Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Ethiopia. It also focuses on China, India and Afghanistan.
Rochman, 27, the documentary’s host, is an Israel activist who was a leader of the organization Students Supporting Israel while in college at Columbia University. According to a statement by the families, the team has been working on the film for over a year.
Aaron Reich, Ma'ariv, and JTA contributed to this report.