Drug trafficking: Indonesia executes Nigerian, three Others

Indonesia early yesterday executed four convicted drug offenders, including two Nigerians, one Senegalese and one Indonesian by firing squad despite petitions and international pressure to review their cases.

The country’s deputy attorney general, Noor Rachmad, told journalist outside the Nusakambangan Prison in central Java that authorities have not decided when 10 other prisoners would be executed.

“It was not a pleasant thing to do, but it was to implement the law. The executions are… aimed at stopping drug crimes.”

The legal team of one of the Nigerians, Humphrey Jefferson Ejike, said he was unjustly killed.

“At this stage, we can only say that we are extremely disappointed with the fact that Jeff was executed.

“The government does not respect the ongoing legal process on Jeff’s case.

“There is strong evidence of torture and he was not given a fair trial. Racism towards our client can be seen in the court decision,” Raynov Tumorang was quoted as saying by text message.

Cheikh Niang, Senegal’s ambassador to Japan, who also oversees Indonesia, told CNN that the executed Senegalese prisoner was in fact from Nigeria, but had traveled to Indonesia on a fake passport.

He said he visited the prisoner on March 15, this year and informed the Indonesian authorities.

Indonesia had in the past executed convicted drug offenders, including Nigerians, in spite of international appeals and abhorrence of death sentence, moreso for an offence that is not considered capital in most countries.

The United Nations (UN) has condemned the execution of the convicts, who have been on death row even before the current administration in the country assumed office.