Barely two weeks after a request came from the African Commission on Human Rights (ACHR) urging the Chairman of the African Union (AU) President Muamar Ghadafi to release Nigerians on death row in his country Libya, some others on death row in Tripoli have called on the Federal Government to help save their lives.
A volunteer spokesperson for the condemned persons, Miss Juliet Okoro, who spoke to THISDAY on phone from Jabida prison in Tripoli said the accusation of murder for which she has been placed on death row since 2000 was forged and her indictment followed no legal representation.
According to her, Ghadafi had already granted amnesty to the convicts waiting for the Nigerian embassy in Libya to sign some documents for their freedom and deportation.
“Nationals of other countries who were sentenced with us are being taken away daily to their countries, we beseech the Nigerian Ambassador here to come to the prison and sign some papers for our release” she said.
Speaking with the same desperate tone, another prisoner also on death row, Mr. Kennedy Balogun said: “On our own, we have proved that the case of murder we are being charged or sentenced for are merely false allegation fabricated by our accuser, a police officer, Col. Abdusalam Bashir Magrahi, to cause us pay the ultimate prize of death for no just cause.”
We plead once again for the Nigerian government to inform our ambassador in Libya to look for this our accuser in respect for “Tanazo” so that we can follow this deportation. Already, we have suffered approximately 11 years imprisonment.”
He explained that Tanazo is an Arabic word for document of forgiveness often issued by a prosecutor.
Balogun wants their case to be forwarded to Libyan President and chairman of the African Union, Muamar Ghadafi giving the names of other people with him as John Robert, Ikechukwu Ukabes, Chukwudi Obiagu.
He added that one Livinus Eluoyibo and Ikenna Aneke were executed on April 4 while Samuel Elijah died as a result of torture in prison in 2003. He gave their case file as number 99/170. He confirmed that a Nigerian consular officer had been to the Maximum prison in Tripoli to release of some prisoners but added that theirs needs “forgiveness from Col Magrahi”.
Another who was sentenced for drug offences, Ms Glory Paul-Amanze said she has been in the prison since 2003 and her brother who was also sentenced with her, Mr. Nwaokomah Nduaguibe had died in the prison.
“We went to look for money when Nigeria was getting difficult and we found ourselves in this ugly situation. Please tell everybody to forgive. We do not want to die or our bodies cremated, we wish to see our families again. We beg our dear President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to come and get us out. We promise to be good citizens in Nigeria. We also urge our kind mother, Dora Akunyili to beg the president on our behalf” Miss Paul-Amanze said.
Reminded that Akunyili is not the Foreign Minister but Minister of Information, she insisted that she represents kindness and every good human attribute in the government based on what they’ve been able to hear about her inside the prison.
“Please beg her to be our mouthpiece to this caring government” she said maintaining that amnesty has been granted to them only waiting for the Nigerian authorities to attest to.
One Mr.Solomon Chukwu Francis who said he hails from Eziama Aba in Abia State said they went to look for work when police opened fire on them and those with bullet wounds were later arrested as criminals.
His colleague, Mr. Chinedu Orji added that the police came to take them where they were in the hospital and whisked them away for trial, accusing them (including one Mr. Valentine Okorie) of fighting the police.
They disclosed that they have been in prison since 2003 while two of their colleagues, Ozo Okonkwo and Chuks Opanka have died due to poor medical care in the prison.
The African Commission on Human Rights had restrained Libya from executing about 20 Nigerians currently facing death sentences in various jails in the North African country recently. Their action came after the chairman House of Representatives Committee on the Diaspora, Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa had warned that some Nigerians are languishing at various detention centres in the country. It was followed up by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) which mandated its lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana to file application at ACHR.
The commission is charged with overseeing compliance with legal obligations under the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights by African states.
