Alphonus Nweze
11 September 2008
Lagos — About 19 Nigerians on death row in Indonesia have sent "Save Our Soul" message to President Umaru Yar'Adua to intervene to secure their freedom before the hangman descend on them.
Concerned citizens led by Mr. Melly Chukwuemeka Eze, an Onitsha based Legal Practitioner who made the call on behalf of the Nigerians on death row said that, the clarion call has become inevitable given the fact that the people would be executed by the end of this month if something drastic is not done to save their lives.
Eze who was flanked by Mike Emejulu and Dubem Ibuzor both lawyers and others while addressing the press yesterday in Onitsha, said that two of the convicted persons have already been executed in June this year, while one Augstine Ogbonna from Enugu Ezike in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State died in cell on September 4, 2008.
He mentioned those who are in death row, most of them from South East of the country, as Kingsley Okonkwo, Michael Igwe, Uchenna Onyenworo, Ekperedike Olekam, Adam Wilson, Hilary Chimezie, Eugene Ape and Humphery Ejike.
Others are Okwudili Ayotaeze, Obinna Nwajiagu, Daniel Enemuo, Fredrick Lutter, Sylvester Nwolisa, Gabriel Nnadi, Dennis Anumona and Ikenna Ezenwanne.
Others sentenced to life imprisonment include Steven Rashid, Joseph Ndaba, Ken Michael and Obinna George, while eight others were sentenced to different jail terms ranging from 11 to 18 years.
According to Eze, information they got from one of them on the death row, Mr. Kingsley Okonkwo through text messages, said that Nigeria Embassy in Indonesia has not done anything towards addressing their plights.
He said that the only chance, these ones on death row have is to have their case reviewed, but they must pay between 150,000 to 2000,000 dollars per each person, which they cannot afford under the prevailing circumstances.
The lawyer said that according to the people, the punishment were discriminatory as an Indonesian caught with Nigerian was sentenced two years while the Nigerian got death sentence.
He said that some of them who spoke with him on telephone alleged that they were tried without legal representation, in language they never understood and in some cases offences they did not commit.
In the letter to the President which was copied to the President of the Senate, David Mark, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole and Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Ojo Maduekwe appealed to Federal Government to do something before the hangman finally knocks and those jailed released and repatriated to Nigeria.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Daily Champion. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
