Dabiri-Erewa advises FG on execution of Nigerians

Posted by admin Africa & World Politics, Latest Politics Thursday, April 30th, 2015

The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on the Diaspora, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, on Wednesday, said four Nigerians executed in Indonesia for drug-related offences might have been denied their right to Nigerian lawyers.

Martin Anderson, (50); Silvester Nwolise, (47); Okwudili Oyatanze, (41), and Jamiu Abashin, (50), along with four others, were shot dead by Indonesian authorities on Tuesday, despite pleas by the United Nations, the European Union, Amnesty International and the Nigerian government.
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Dabiri-Erewa, in an interview with The PUNCH, said, “It is very uncertain if those (Nigerians) on death row got a thorough and fair hearing. They had access to only Indonesian lawyers. It is important for Nigeria to demand fair hearing for them so they will not be punished for a crime they are not guilty of.”

Narrating a visit to the Indonesian authorities in 2008, she described the death of the Nigerians as emotional and shocking.

According to her, there will be more of such executions by Indonesia in the future if pressure is not mounted on the Asian nation to reverse its death penalty on drug-related offences.

She said, “For me, it was incredibly emotional and shocking; particularly so because in 2008, the then Minister of Foreign of Affairs, Ambassador Ojo Maduekwe, sent a delegation of about eight people, including the Director-General of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency to Indonesia. We met with Nigerians in prison (on death row for drug trafficking), 21 of them.

“More will be killed if nothing happens. I believe the number even increased as of 2008. We met 21 of them, one of whom died; some of them were graduates. We were looking at these guys and it was shameful that that was where they would end up. One of them said he had been unemployed and that someone had given him (the drugs).

“Then, we visited the Attorney-General and Minster of justice (of Indonesia), the Deputy President and a few other organisations, but they were very definite that the law of the land says convicts will die for (trafficking) drugs. It was so emotional.

“We spoke with them, prayed for them and hoped that may be the Indonesian government would listen and they would be given a second chance, but unfortunately, it was not to be. So, my appeal is while we keep pleading for clemency, if the new president has said he will not likely change his mind, we should appeal to our people to avoid crime, so that no Nigerian would die that way.”
-Punchwp_posts