Nigeria’s Foreign Minister, Ambassador Aminu Wali, on behalf of the country, has summoned the Ambassador of Indonesia to Nigeria over the conviction of drug peddlers, who are believed to be Nigerians, by the government of the country.
The protest letter was presented to the Ambassador in Abuja on Sunday, January 18, 2015. It was to formally register Nigeria’s protest over the death by firing squad passed on two Nigerians.
It was stated that there are some twists in the national identity of one of the executed drug dealers.
The statement, issued by the ministry’s Director of Public Communication, Ogbole Amedu-Ode, explained that since December 2014, when the president of Indonesia, Joko Widodo approved the execution, only one Nigerian was identified in the list of six condemned drugs convicts.
The identity of the Nigeria was put as Daniel Enemuo (Alias Diarrassoube Mamadou). Nigeria now claims that the other person named Namaona Denis is a Nigerian, not a Malawian as earlier reported. It was said that Denis is from the eastern part of Nigeria. His real name was given by the foreign affairs ministry as Solomon Okafor.
The ministry said the Nigerians were executed for drug offences at the Island of Nusakambangu in Cilacap, Central Java Province, in spite of appeals by the Federal Government.
“The executions were carried out despite persistent pleas for clemency made by the federal government, including the National Assembly. It 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.”
The statement strongly appealed to the Indonesian authorities to exercise clemency for other 12 Nigerians on the death row in that country.
It also added that the Federal Government had expressed sympathy and condolences to the families of the deceased.
However, the statement also appealed to Nigerians to desist from drug trafficking which attracts capital punishment in Indonesia and in many other countries. The ministry emphasised that the Nigerian Government would continue to engage the Indonesian authorities to negotiate and conclude a Prisoner Transfer Agreement.
The statement said the agreement might enable other convicted Nigerians to return home to serve their prison terms rather than facing execution over there.
