...Pro Bono Service Frees Nigerian Sentenced To Death In Indonesia
By PAULINE PODKA
FEDERAL Government has commended a Nigerian lawyer based in Washington DC, Emmanuel Ogebe, whose pro bono service rendered to a Nigerian, Emmanuel Ihejirika, who had been sentenced to death for drug trafficking in Indonesia has led to his freedom, after several years in prison.
Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, commended Ogebe’s selflessness and kindness in taking up the case during a meeting with him in Washington DC.
In a statement issued by Gabriel Odu, of the Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, NIDCOM, Dabiri-Erewa, recalled how several years back, a delegation from Nigeria, headed by the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ojo Madueke, which included herself, then a member of the House of Representatives, former Chairman Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Ipinmosho, among others, had visited Indonesian prison to plead for clemency for 21 Nigerians on death row convicted for drug trafficking.
She said four of them have been executed along with an Indonesian and British citizen.
“A Nigerian lawyer Mr Emmanuel Isha Ogebe, based in the USA, had later approached Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa for her intervention and offered pro bono services for Ihejirika, whose case appeared to be one of mistaken identity, and offered to follow the case through.
He succeeded, as he took the case up to the Supreme Court, and Ihejirika was finally let off the hook in December.
“Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa re-emphasised that penalty for drug trafficking in Indonesia is death adding that Nigerians should stay away from crime.
“She therefore, commended Barrister Emmanuel Isha Ogebe for his selflessness and kindness for the pro bono services”, the statement read.
The NIDCOM Boss also praised the efforts of the Nigerian Charge D’Affaires in Indonesia Ms Patricia Alechenu for her unwavering support.
Ogebe, in his remarks, thanked Dabiri-Erewa for her prompt intervention in cases relating to Nigerians in Diaspora right from her days as a member of the House of Representatives.
He described her as “ a morale booster “ for Nigerians in Diaspora.
He pledged to continue to work with Dabiri Erewa and the NiDCOM team.