Indonesian authorities Tuesday executed eight people convicted for drugs. Meet four of them who were Nigerians.
Martin Anderson
Anderson
was sentenced to death in 2004 after being found guilty of possessing
about 50g (1.8oz) of heroin. The 50-year-old travelled to Indonesia on a
false passport and was thought to be Ghanian, but is in fact – like
three of his fellow prisoners – from Nigeria. He was reportedly shot in
the leg during his arrest. His lawyer told the media that he has been in
poor spirits since being moved to Nusa Kambangan to face execution.
Anderson and Agbaje
Raheem Agbaje Salami (also known as Jamiu Owolabi Abashin)
Abashin, 50, has said he was homeless in Bangkok when a new
“friend”
offered him $400 to take some clothes to Indonesia. He was arrested in
Surabaya with 5.5kg (12lb) of heroin and originally sentenced, in 1999,
to life in prison. The sentence was changed to one of death in 2006. In
an appeal for presidential clemency, Abashin admitted he had known he
was carrying the drugs. His appeal was unsuccessful.
Silvester Obiekwe Nwolise
Nwolise, 47, was convicted in 2002 of smuggling just over a kilogram of heroin into Indonesia. He was sentenced to death.
Nwolise and Oyatanze
His
wife said he believed he was carrying tablets – which he swallowed –
containing goat horn powder for some Nigerian friends in Pakistan. She
also said he had no translator during his trial, and there are
allegations that a bribe was sought to spare him a death sentence.
Okwuduli Oyatanze
Oyatanze,
41, was sentenced to death in 2002, found guilty of attempting to bring
2.5kg of heroin through Jakarta in capsules inside his stomach. Charles
Burrows, a Catholic priest who has counselled Oyatanze in prison, says
that the Nigerian man, following the collapse of his clothing company,
had thought being a drugs mule would be
“easy money”.
The chairwoman of the House Committee on diaspora matters, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has revealed that there are currently more Nigerians on death row in Indonesia.
