Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman\/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), has announced the release of Emmanuel Ihejirika, a Nigerian man who was sentenced to death in Indonesia for drug trafficking. The breakthrough comes after several years in prison and was made possible through the pro bono efforts of a Nigerian lawyer based in Washington, D.C., Mr. Emmanuel Isha Ogebe.<\/p>\n
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This revelation was made public in a statement signed by Gabriel Odu, head of NIDCOM’s Media, Public Relations, and Protocols Unit.<\/p>\n
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During a recent meeting with Barrister Emmanuel Isha Ogebe in Washington, D.C., Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa praised Ogebe for his unwavering selflessness in taking up Ihejirika\u2019s case without seeking any compensation. Dabiri-Erewa emphasized that Ogebe\u2019s intervention was a testament to the power of selfless service and dedication, especially in helping a fellow Nigerian escape a wrongful conviction.<\/p>\n
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Several years ago, a Nigerian delegation, led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ojo Madueke, and including Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa\u2014then a member of the House of Representatives\u2014along with the former Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mr. Ipinmosho, and others, visited an Indonesian prison. The delegation pleaded for clemency for 21 Nigerians who had been sentenced to death for drug-related offenses. Despite their efforts, four of the convicted individuals were executed, alongside Indonesian and British nationals.<\/p>\n
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After learning of Ihejirika\u2019s case, which appeared to be a case of mistaken identity, Mr. Emmanuel Isha Ogebe reached out to Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa for support. Ogebe took on Ihejirika\u2019s case pro bono, determined to see it through to the highest court. His dedication paid off, as he successfully appealed the case up to the Supreme Court of Indonesia, which eventually led to Ihejirika\u2019s release in December. The success of the case is seen as a rare victory, given Indonesia’s strict penalties for drug-related crimes.<\/p>\n
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Hon. Dabiri-Erewa reaffirmed the harsh consequences of drug trafficking in Indonesia, where the penalty remains death. She urged all Nigerians to stay away from any form of crime, emphasizing that the commission would continue to support innocent Nigerians caught in legal battles abroad but would not condone criminal activities.<\/p>\n
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In addition to praising Barrister Ogebe, Hon. Dabiri-Erewa also acknowledged the steadfast efforts of the Nigerian Charge D\u2019Affaires in Indonesia, Ms. Patricia Alechenu, for her unyielding support throughout the ordeal. Ms. Alechenu worked closely with NIDCOM and other diplomatic channels to ensure that Ihejirika received the necessary assistance, both legally and diplomatically.<\/p>\n
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Hon. Dabiri-Erewa reiterated that NIDCOM is committed to protecting and defending the rights of Nigerians abroad, especially in cases of injustice or mistaken identity. She urged Nigerian citizens to engage in lawful activities wherever they are, as the commission is working hard to foster positive global representation for Nigerians in the diaspora.<\/p>\n
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Speaking about the case, Barrister Emmanuel Isha Ogebe expressed deep gratitude to Hon. Dabiri-Erewa for her immediate intervention, noting that her consistent support of Nigerians abroad has been a source of strength for those who find themselves in challenging situations. “She has always been a morale booster for Nigerians in the diaspora,” Ogebe stated. He pledged to continue working closely with Hon. Dabiri-Erewa and the NIDCOM team to ensure justice for Nigerians abroad.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman\/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), has announced the release of Emmanuel Ihejirika, a Nigerian man who was sentenced to death in Indonesia for drug trafficking. The breakthrough comes after several years in prison and was made possible through the pro bono efforts of a Nigerian lawyer based in Washington, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":48549,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48542"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48542\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48543,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48542\/revisions\/48543"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}