In a striking revelation, the Chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, disclosed that out of 21 Nigerians condemned to death in Indonesia for drug trafficking, 20 are from a single South-East state, while the remaining one hails from Edo State.
This information was made public amid renewed concerns over the involvement of some Nigerians in criminal activities abroad. Dabiri-Erewa shared this during a press engagement while addressing rising calls to scrutinize the conduct of Nigerians living outside the country. She cautioned against generalizing the actions of a few individuals as representative of the entire Nigerian population.
“The fact that 20 out of 21 people on death row in Indonesia for drug trafficking are from one particular state in the South-East doesn’t mean we condemn the entire state or region,” she said. “We must hold individuals accountable, not entire communities.”
The NiDCOM boss emphasized the importance of promoting positive representation and urged Nigerians, especially those living abroad, to steer clear of illegal activities—particularly in countries like Indonesia that have a zero-tolerance policy on drug trafficking, where the offense is punishable by death.
She referenced a significant win in 2024 when Emmanuel Ihejirika, a Nigerian man previously sentenced to death in Indonesia, was freed thanks to the pro bono efforts of Emmanuel Isha Ogebe, a US-based Nigerian human rights lawyer. The intervention, which reached Indonesia’s Supreme Court, led to Ihejirika’s acquittal after years on death row.
Despite the occasional breakthrough, Dabiri-Erewa stressed that many Nigerians have already faced execution in Indonesia for similar offenses, and the law there remains rigid.
This latest revelation not only raises questions about regional patterns but also calls for deeper introspection within Nigerian communities. As Dabiri-Erewa rightly stated, the issue must be addressed from the lens of individual responsibility, rather than collective condemnation.
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