Leadership (Abuja)
27 June 2008
The Indonesian authority yesterday were to execute two Nigerians, who have been convicted of smuggling illegal drugs into the country.
[ See Article ]
It is sad that Idonesia would go this way to execute Nigerians for an offence that could attract jail term. The Nigerian govt should register its protest to the Indonesian govt and if satisfactory response is not received, should end all ties with the country
Be that as it may, the crime committed by those Nigerians was not an act of war. For better international relation the government of Indonesia should after convicting those Nigeria return them to Nigeria. The Nigeria government would then sentence those convicts according to Nigeria laws. For Indonesia to execute Nigerian nationals is cause to tactfully withdraw economic and cultural engagement with the people and government of Indonesia.
Nigerians should desist from traveling to that restricted Muslim nation for whatever reason. Because Nigerians are quiet over the matter does not necessarily mean that we are happy about the killing of our citizens.
Could it be that the Nigeria Fed. Ministry of External Affairs did not do enough to win release of those Nigerians because they were drug traffickers? No matter what they were Nigerians and we love them. If they were American or British Nationals, Indonesia would have found a good reason to rescind the death penalty. This raises question about Nationalism and Government responsibilities to Nigerians.