After rescue from death row, Ogebe gives NIDCOM names of other Nigerians in Indonesian prison for action

After his rescue from death row, Ogebe gives NIDCOM names of other Nigerians in Indonesian prison, marking his 27th birthday^and year of exile in the US

By Jeph Ajobaju, Editor-in-Chief

Eighteen Nigerian citizens remain on death row 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 this revelation in a recent letter he wrote to Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Director General of the Nigeria in Disaspora Commission (NIDCOM), describing the inhuman treatment of the victims against the backdrop of the sword of death hanging over their heads.

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The activist recounted how he himself went into exile in the United States in 1997 when dictator Sani Abacha wanted to assassinate him. This experience motivated him to intervene in the case of Ihejirika, who had originally sought asylum in Indonesia but fell into the hands of human traffickers who involved him in drug crime.

Ogbe’s update on his humanitarian mission, which he went to TheNicheis reproduced below, along with copies of his letter to Dabiri-Erewa and a report on the conditions under which Nigerians are being held in prison in the Southeast Asian country.

Appreciation of messages of goodwill

I am grateful for the overwhelming messages of goodwill from Nigerians at home and in the diaspora over our successful rescue and repatriation of a Nigerian wrongly sentenced to death as “Emmanuel Ihejirika” after 20 years of captivity in Indonesia.

On September 16, 2024, it will have been exactly 27 years since I myself arrived in exile in the United States during a marathon escape from the murderous Sani Abacha regime, becoming part of the diaspora on the longest day of my life – 31 hours. (Accidentally American – a quarter century odyssey (https://justiceforjos.wordpress.com/2022/09/24/accidentally-american-a-quarter-century-odyssey/)

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That unique event enabled me to become Nigeria’s foremost human rights lawyer in the diaspora, which eventually led to the unprecedented quashing of the death sentence of “Ihejirika” by the Indonesian Supreme Court on drug charges, the relocation of over 25 at-risk Nigerians to the US and millions of dollars in aid to Africa over the past 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 give all the glory to God for the fulfillment of Genesis 50:20 in my life: “What the enemy intended for evil God turned for good, to the saving of many souls.” This is my life verse.

Letter to the CEO of NIDCOM

That is why I wrote a letter to the CEO of NIDCOM, Mr. Dabiri Erewa, with a list of other Nigerian citizens we found in an Indonesian prison while visiting a client.

My letter states:

Dear Mr. Chairman/CEO Dabiri Erewa,

As requested, you will find in my archives a list of Nigerian prisoners who are in the same Indonesian prison as my released client.

This list is old and was compiled by one of our Australian volunteers who visited them. Apart from my client number one on the list who I repatriated home from Jarkarta on Christmas Eve, I do not know the status of the others. I hope you can use your good office to find out their status.

After our unprecedented victory at the Indonesian Supreme Court and the recent developments in that country’s legislation, I believe there is hope for the restoration of the lives of more of our misled citizens in this tragic situation.

I would like to urge a delegation to visit Indonesia for this purpose, as countries with a high diplomatic level and a strong presence on the ground are usually more likely to achieve breakthroughs with a new government elected in Indonesia.

You can rest assured that we are prepared to assist our citizens in need who are stranded abroad.

Thank you again for your dynamic, proactive and consistent support and care over the years.

Here is a photo of our repatriation of the client from Indonesia on a Christmas flight to join his family in Nigeria a few months ago.

Kind regards,

Emma Isha Ogebe, Esq.

Prison visit report

Attachment: Prison visit report

Dear sir,

I wrote to you on February 4, 2019, after visiting Nigerian Citizen (convicted as Emmanuel O Ihejirika)…

I will summarize. During my visit I was approached by Nigerian prisoners who asked me to contact their embassy. They were in a desperate situation. They were locked up for 23 3/4 hours a day and had to survive on 3 cups of rice and 3 cups of water a day. There is sewage on the floor and they sleep without any bedding.

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 their cells for 5 to 15 minutes a day” which confirms the information I sent you on February 18. (attached list of names of your citizens WILL NOT BE MENTIONED FOR CONFIDENTIALITY)

Your citizens have entrusted me with the task of conveying their cry for help to you. When human lives are at stake, I must leave no stone unturned. I would greatly appreciate it if your office would acknowledge receipt of my email and keep me informed of progress.

Start forwarded message:

Subject: Visit

Dear Emmanuel,

I wonder how you are and where you are?

Recently I visited Maximum Security Prison. It was a frightening experience for me; here is my letter of concern which I sent today by email to the Nigerian Embassy in Jakarta.

The Iranian embassy recently received a similar report, and within two weeks, embassy staff and a doctor visited the island. A week later, five Iranian prisoners were transferred from the maximum security prison to the medium security prison.

After you read my report I would appreciate your guidance on where to go from here. Perhaps you have a contact at the Nigerian Embassy in Jakarta.

Awaiting your prompt reply,

Honestly

END (OF) LETTER TO NIDCOM

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NIDCOM working to provide aid to Nigerians imprisoned abroad

I am pleased to report that Nigeria sent a diplomat to prison following our report and that the Indonesian authorities have improved their conditions and subsequently carried out a number of transfers.

But now, five years have passed and I no longer have the same status as the other 18 Nigerian prisoners following the recent release of our client.

Dabiri-Erewa responded that she is working to help all Nigerians trapped abroad. This is highly commendable as FGN should not focus only on what can be obtained from successful diasporans and forget those who have been abandoned.

Like my client, I also applied for political asylum upon arrival abroad, which was granted, while he applied for asylum a few years later, which was denied. Unfortunately, while his asylum application was being processed by the United Nations, he was trafficked by drug cartels using a false passport. This unique asylum application of his was crucial in establishing his true identity and alibi, as well as the fact that he was not a serial drug trafficker as claimed.

While we work on his recovery and rehabilitation, we ask the media to respect his privacy at this time.

I would like to thank all members of our multidisciplinary team in Australia, Pakistan, Thailand, Indonesia, Mexico and Nigeria who worked on this case to secure his release after twenty years.

Most of all, we thank Almighty God who helped a poor nobody, the son of a widow with only a basic education, to obtain justice in a foreign land when the sons of rich Westerners were being executed.

Emmanuel Ogebe, Esq.

Washington

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