After deathrow resucue, Ogebe gives to NIDCOM names of other Nigerians in Indonesian jail, marks 27th year of exile in US
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Eighteen Nigerian citizens are still in deathrow prison in Indonesia despite the rescue of Emmanuel Ihejirika last year after his case was taken up by international human rights lawyer, Emmanuel Ogebe.
Ogebe made the disclosure in a recent letter he wrote to Nigeria in Disaspora Commission (NIDCOM) Chief Executive Officer Abike Dabiri-Erewa, detailing their inhuman treatment against the backdrop of the sword of death hanging over their heads.
The activist recounted how himself ran into exile in the United States in 1997 when dictator Sani Abacha sought to kill him, an experience that in part galvanised him to intervene in the case of Ihejirika who originally requested asylum in Indonesia before he fell into the hands of human traffickers who roped him into drug crime.
Ogbe’s update on his humanitarian mission, which he sent to TheNiche, is reproduced below along with copies of his letter to Dabiri-Erewa and a report on the conditions under which Nigerians are held in prison in the Southeast Asian country.
Appreciation of messages of goodwill
I gratefully acknowledge the overwhelming messages of goodwill from Nigerians at home and in the diaspora on our successful rescue and repatriation of a Nigerian sentenced to death erroneously as “Emmanuel Ihejirika” after 20 years imprisoned in Indonesia.
16 September 2024 marked 27 years precisely since I myself arrived in exile in the U.S. during a marathon escape from the murderous Sani Abacha regime and thus became part of the Diaspora in the longest day of my life – 31hrs. (Accidentally American – a quarter century odyssey (https://justiceforjos.wordpress.com/2022/09/24/accidentally-american-a-quarter-century-odyssey/)
That singular event enabled me to become Nigeria’s foremost human rights lawyer in Diaspora leading to the eventual unprecedented overturning of “Ihejirika’s” death sentence by the Indonesian Supreme Court on drug charges, the relocation of over 25 at-risk Nigerians to the U.S. and millions of dollars in aid to Africa over the last 24 years – including N600 million to Plateau last month (https://www.facebook.com/share/v/e3JW9t4gvbdhbwaX/?mibextid=WC7FNe https://www.facebook.com/share/p/o7FizMyRsPwAkHct/?mibextid=WC7FNe https://www.facebook.com/share/LZCF2a4pPwkonk89/?mibextid=WC7FNe).
I return all glory to God for the fulfillment of Genesis 50:20 in my life “what the enemy meant for evil, God turned around for good for the saving of many lives.” This is my life verse.
Letter to NIDCOM CEO
Accordingly, I have written to NIDCOM CEO Hon. Dabiri Erewa providing a list of other Nigerian citizens we found in an Indonesian prison during client visitation.
My letter reads:
Dear Hon. Chair/CEO Dabiri Erewa,
As requested please find a list I found in my archives of Nigerian prisoners held at the same Indonesian prison as my freed client.
This list is old and was compiled by one of our Australian caregiver volunteers who visited them. Apart from my client number one on the list who I repatriated home on Christmas Eve from Jarkarta, I am unaware of the status of the others. I hope you can exercise your good office to ascertain their status.
Following our unprecedented victory at the Indonesian Supreme Court and recent developments in that country’s laws, I believe there is hope for the recovery of the lives of more of our misguided citizens in this tragic predicament.
I would urge that a visitation delegation be conducted to Indonesia for this purpose as countries with high level diplomatic engagement and on the ground presence tend to achieve breakthroughs more so with a new government elected in Indonesia.
Be rest assured of our willingness to assist our distressed citizens stranded abroad.
Thanks again for your dynamic, proactive and consistent support and concern over the years.
Attached is a photograph of our repatriation of the client from Indonesia on a Christmas flight to rejoin his family in Nigeria some months ago.
Best regards,
Emma Isha Ogebe, Esq.
Prison visitation report
Attachment: Prison visitation report
Dear Sir,
I wrote to you on the 4th February 2019, after visiting Nigerian Citizen (sentenced as Emmanuel O Ihejirika)…
I will recap. Whilst visiting I was approached by Nigerian prisoners asking me to contact their Embassy, they were in a desperate situation. Locked up for 23 3/4 hours a day and forced to live on 3 cups of rice and 3 cups of water a day. There is raw sewage running on the floor where they sleep without any bedding at all.
Today I received this information from the prison:
“There are 19 Nigerians in this prison and 2 are very sick. Now prisoners are only allowed outside of their cell for 5 to 15 mins a day” confirming the information I sent you on the 18th February. (attached list of your Citizens names WITHHELD FOR CONFIDENTIALITY )
Your Citizens entrusted me with the task of delivering their cry for help to you. When it comes to human lives, I am compelled to leave no stone unturned, I would be very grateful if your office could acknowledge receipt of my email and update me on the progress.
Begin forwarded message:
Subject: Visiting
Dear Emmanuel,
I wonder how you are and where you are?
Recently visited Maximum Security Prison. This was a harrowing experience for me; attached is my letter of concern emailed to the Nigerian Embassy in Jakarta today.
The Iranian Embassy was recently sent a similar report and within 2 weeks Embassy staff and a doctor visited the Island and 1 week later 5 Iranian prisoners were moved from Maximum Security Prison to Medium Security Prison.
Once you have read my report I would appreciate your guidance on where to [go] from here. Maybe you have a contact in the Nigerian Embassy Jakarta.
In anticipation of your early reply,
Sincerely
END [OF] LETTER TO NIDCOM
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NIDCOM working on assistance Nigerians imprisoned abroad
I am happy to note that Nigeria sent a diplomat on prison visitation pursuant to our report and the Indonesian authorities improved their conditions and subsequently initiated some transfers.
However, since it is now five years later, I do not have the status of the remaining 18 Nigerian prisoners following our client’s recent release.
Dabiri-Erewa has replied that she’s working on assistance to all Nigerians imprisoned abroad. This is highly commendable as FGN shouldn’t only focus on what can be gotten from successful Diasporans and forget those who fell by the wayside.
Like my client, I too filed for political asylum on arrival abroad which was granted while he filed for asylum just a couple years after which was denied. While his asylum appeal was pending with United Nations, he was unfortunately trafficked by drug cartels on a fake passport. This singular asylum application of his was critical in establishing his true identity and alibi as well as the fact that he was not a serial drug trafficker as alleged.
While we work on his recovery and rehabilitation, we ask the privacy of the media for him at this time.
I thank all the members of our multidisciplinary team in Australia, Pakistan, Thailand, Indonesia, Mexico and Nigeria who helped work on this case to secure his freedom after two decades.
Most of all thank God Almighty who helped a poor nobody, son of a widow with only primary education to obtain justice in a foreign land when sons of rich Westerners were executed.
Emmanuel Ogebe, Esq.
Washington
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