Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, (NIDCOM) Dr. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has disclosed that a Nigerian, Emmanuel Ihejirika who had been sentenced to death for drug trafficking in Indonesia has been freed, after several years in prison.
Dabiri-Erewa said this was after his case was taken up pro bono by a Nigerian lawyer based in Washington DC, Mr Emmanuel Isha Ogebe.
In a statement on Friday by the Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit of NIDCOM, Mr Gabriel Odu said at a meeting with Barrister Emmanuel Isha Ogebe in Washington DC, Hon Dabiri-Erewa commended Mr Ogebe for his selflessness and kindness in taking up the case.
Years back, a delegation from Nigeria, headed by the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ojo Madueke, which included Abike Dabiri Erewa, then a member of the House of Representatives, former Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mr Ipinmosho, among others, had visited Indonesian prison to plead for clemency for 21 Nigerians on death row convicted for drug trafficking.
Four of them have been executed along with an Indonesian and British citizen.
Mr Ogebe, based in the USA, had later approached Hon Dabiri-Erewa for her intervention and offered pro bono services for Ihejirika, whose case appeared to be one of mistaken identity, and offered to follow the case through.
He succeeded as he took the case up to the Supreme Court, and Ihejirika was finally let off the hook in December.
The NIDCOM boss re-emphasised that the penalty for drug trafficking in Indonesia is death, adding that Nigerians should stay away from crime, the statement added.
She also praised the efforts of the Nigerian Charge D’ Affaires in Indonesia Ms Patricia Alechenu for her unwavering support.
In his remarks, Barrister Ogebe, thanked Hon. Dabiri-Erewa for her prompt intervention in cases relating to Nigerians in Diaspora right from her days as a member of the House of Representatives, describing her as “a morale booster “ for Nigerians in Diaspora.
He pledged to continue to work with the NiDCOM’s CEO and her team.