The Chairman/CEO of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has revealed that a Nigerian, Emmanuel Ihejirika, who was sentenced to death for drug trafficking in Indonesia, has been freed, after several years in prison.
His case was taken up pro bono by a Nigerian lawyer in Washington DC, United States of America, Emmanuel Isha Ogebe.
At a meeting with Ogebe in Washington DC, Dabiri-Erewa commended him for his selflessness and kindness in taking up the case.
Several years back, a delegation from Nigeria, headed by a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ojo Madueke, which included Dabiri-Erewa, then a member of the House of Representatives, and former Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Lanre 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.
Ogebe later approached 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.
Dabiri-Erewa re-emphasised that penalty for drug trafficking in Indonesia is death, adding that Nigerians should stay away from crime.
She commended Ogebe for his selflessness and kindness for the pro bono services.
The NIDCOM boss also praised the efforts of the Nigerian Charge D’Affaires in Indonesia, Patricia Alechenu, for her unwavering support.
Ogebe thanked Dabiri-Erewa for her prompt intervention in cases relating to Nigerians in the Diaspora right from her days as a member of the House of Representatives.
He described her as “a morale booster” for Nigerians in the Diaspora.
He pledged to continue to work with Dabiri-Erewa and the NiDCOM team.
