by Chukwu Obi
United Nigerians In Diaspora, UNID, has called on the Federal Government to prevail on the Indonesian government to stay action on its plans to execute eight more Nigerian citizens for drug related offences.
Briefing newsmen in Lagos, the group’s president, Mr. Paschal Okolie, condemned what it described as the poor attitude of the government towards the recent execution of four Nigerians in Indonesia.
His words: ”Considering that the next batch of execution will take place in no distant time in Indonesia, we urge the good people of Nigeria and our government to rise up with the entire world to stop further executions of Nigerians. Enough of the killings. Nigeria should leverage on the strong bilateral relationship it has with Indonesia and negotiate to stop the execution of the eight waiting to be killed. In as much as we totally condemn drug trafficking and wish to sensitise intending traffickers on the consequences that awaits offenders, we also condemn capital punishment especially since it has not been able to quell the issue of drug trafficking in Indonesia.”
Okolie who gave names of those awaiting further execution as, Michael Titus Igwe, Kingsley Okonkwo, Uchenna Onyewuru, Eugene Ape, Hunphery Ejike, Obinna Nwajiagu, Benjamin Onuoha and Ikenna Abanukwu, said, ”Nigerian Embassy in Indonesia is longer concerned with passport renewals than the welfare or security of Nigerians. Those Nigerians killed were not giving fair trial, there is language barrier which made it impossible for them to defend themselves properly, Nigerian embassy did not even send representatives to court to assist them, so they were left at the mercy of Indonesia which was bent on killing them.”
‘’Most times Nigerians are thrown into prisons for more than four months without anyone knowing about it. They are tortured and some even die in the process. The way a country treats her citizens, is a reflection of how the citizens will be treated in foreign lands. Therefore, we feel it is high time our government rose to the occasion to ameliorate the plight of its citizens.’’
“we expected our government to show concern just like other countries whose nationals were involved. The way a government treats its citizens, is a reflection of how the citizens are likely to be treated in foreign lands. Therefore, we feel it is high time our government rose to the occasion to ameliorate the plights of its citizens no matter the circumstance.
We use this opportunity to appeal to the youth, to beware of the kind of friendships they keep as well as activities they engage themselves. One of the reasons there are many young Nigerians in prisons in different countries of the world today, is due to get rich quick syndrome, fast track. But in the end, they lose everything including their lives.”
