Death-Row Nigerian Loses Appeal
Death-Row Nigerian Loses Appeal
The days are now counting for a death-row Nigerian in an Indonesian prison, known as Raheem Agbaje Salami, as a court in the country refuses jurisdiction in an appeal he filed seeking a review of the case for which he was condemned to die. Salami’s lawyers had appealed against President Joko Widodo’s rejection of his clemency plea in the Administrative Court. The appeal was thrown out yesterday. Dismissing the appeal, the court said it lacked jurisdiction over presidential decisions. Two Australians, also on death-row, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, suffered the same setback last month. However, Salami’s lawyer, Utomo Karim, has said he would appeal. Two other Nigerians, Okwudili Ayotanze and Sylvester Obiekwe, are also waiting for the hangman in Indonesia.
Ayontanze, is said to have become a gospel singer and jams with prison guards. He has also released albums from his Nusakambangan prison. Obiekwe, according to agency reports, has angered authorities by continuing to run a drug syndicate from behind bars. Meanwhile, a senior counsellor from the Nigerian embassy in Jakarta, Ibrahim Babani, has said the Nigerian government was fighting for the lives of the citizens. “We passionately believe that all three should be given a chance,” Mr Babani said, adding “if you go deep into their cases there are reasons they should be allowed to live.” Mr Babani said lawyers for the three men had indicated they were pursuing legal action. But Salami’s lawyer, Karim, disclosed that he will also seek a judicial review for his client in the Surabaya district court tomorrow, on the ground that the entire prosecution of his case was illegal because it was based on the man’s fake identity.
This, it is believed, could further delay the death of the 10 drug felons after the Attorney-General’s office indicated it would put executions on hold pending the outcome of several court cases. A man purporting to be Raheem Agbaje Salami, from the southern Spanish city of Cordova, was arrested in 1998 smuggling 5.3 kilograms of heroin into Surabaya, Indonesia’s second largest city. However Raheem’s passport was false. His real name is Jamiu Owolabi Abashin, a Nigerian national. And although he was arrested 17 years ago, Indonesian authorities continue to use the fake name in prison on Nusakambangan. Mr Utomo will argue the prosecution of his case was illegal because his fake identity was used from his arrest to his conviction in the district court right through to the rejection of his clemency plea. Three of the others on death row – Filipino migrant worker Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso, Frenchman Serge Areski Atlaoui and Indonesian Zainal Abidin – are also seeking judicial reviews of their cases.
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