Another Nigerian drug trafficker to be executed in Indonesia
Another young Nigerian will be executed in Indonesia in the next few weeks after he was convicted for drug trafficking.
Reports in Fairfax Media, say that Igweh who was into the importation of clothing materials before he was caught in the drug web, had told prosecutors that police electrocuted his genitals to force him to confess to possessing heroin, a point in which the lawyers used to try and get him free.
While narrating his experience in court, Igweh who was sentenced to death in 2003 for possessing 5.8 kilograms of heroin, said:
"I was constantly beaten, and my genitals electrocuted until I was helpless. In fact, I was threatened to be shot."
Michael Igweh pleading his case
Photo Credit: Fairfax Media
In his defense, Igweh's lawyer, Sitor Situmorang, said he was convicted based on the testimony of two alleged accomplices, Marlena and Izuchukwu Okoloaja, who died in police custody and could therefore not testify in court, arguing that the Supreme Court judges should try cases based on the law and not to achieve popularity or appear tough.
"We accepted Michael's case because we saw it had merit. Out of the many requests from prisoners on Nusakambangan, we only took this. We believe Marlena and Okoloaja gave Michael's name just so the police would stop torturing them.
They were healthy when they were arrested, they had no history of illness, they all just suddenly died while in police custody. We all know what that means."
In spite a worldwide condemnation on the death penalty, Indonesia has continued to practice it and has refused to back down on it.
In 2015, about six Nigerians were publicly executed for drug trafficking.
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