Nigerian government battles Indonesia over execution of 2 Nigerians

isaac

January 19, 2015 3:51 PM

The Federal Government is not happy with the execution of 2 Nigerians by Indonesia for drug trafficking.

The Nigerian government is not taking the execution by firing squad, of 2 Nigerian drug traffickers, Daniel Enemuo and Solomon Okafor, on Sunday, 18 January, 2015, and has, through the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Wali, summoned the Indonesian Ambassador to register Nigeria’s protest over the execution despite appeals by the FG for leniency on behalf of the men and other Nigerian prisoners in that country.

As reported by Pulse.ng, the 2 Nigerians were executed for drug offences at the Island of Nusakambangu in Cilacap, Central Java Province, despite appeals by the Federal Government.

In a strongly worded statement signed by the Director, Public Communication Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ogbole Amedu-Ode, the executions were carried out despite persistent pleas for clemency made by the Federal Government, including the National Assembly.

"The executions had taken place against the grain of the excellent relations that subsist between Nigeria and Indonesia.

Thus, the Foreign Minister has summoned the Indonesian Ambassador to register Nigeria’s protest. It strongly appeals, once again, to the Indonesian authorities to exercise clemency for other 12 Nigerians on the death row in the country.

The government expressed its sympathy and condolences to the families of the deceased and also appealed to Nigerians to desist from drug trafficking which attracts the capital punishment in Indonesia and in many other countries of the world."

Okafor and Enemuo who is also known as Namaona Denis, were among the 7 foreigners executed for drug trafficking including 2 women.

The convicts were the first people executed under new President Joko Widodo, who took office in October 2014, who had pledged during his electioneering campaigns that there will be no mercy for drug traffickers.

Enemuo was sentenced to death by the Tangerang District Court in September 2004, for attempting to smuggle 1.150 grams of heroin into the country from Pakistan in January 2004, while the 49-year-old Daniel, who was reportedly born in Nigeria but travelled to Indonesia with a Malawian passport, was sentenced by the Bandung High Court in 2001 after being convicted of smuggling 940 grams of heroin at the Seokarno-Hatta airport in Jakarta.

isaac