Abike Dabiri, chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), has insisted that justice must be served in the case of the death of Itunu Babalola, a Nigerian lady wrongly incarcerated in Cote d’Ivoire.
Babalola had been behind the bar in the last one year in the Francophone country before the news of her death.
The deceased reportedly got entangled in a legal battle when she reported to the police that her house in Bondoukou, Cote d’Ivoire, had been burgled.
She was said to have been charged to court and the prosecutor in collaboration with the police allegedly compromised the case and accused her of human trafficking.
Babalola was eventually convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The sentence was later reduced to 10 years.
But on November 15, the 21-year-old Nigerian died in a Cote d’Ivoire prison after suffering from diabetic complications — after spending more than two years in incarceration.
Reacting to the issue on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, on Friday, Dabiri said the Nigerian government will ensure that justice is served in accordance to the relevant law.
She said the ambassador of Nigeria to Cote d’Ivoire has demanded an autopsy, adding that NiDCOM has also written to Interpol seeking for investigation on the matter.
Dabiri also said the office of the attorney-general is “following the case”, noting that the Nigerian government will not allow it “to go away”.
“Right now the ambassador has demanded that an autopsy be conducted, a strong statement has been issued on their website and condemned the way she was treated in the first place. How does burglary becomes human trafficking even if she used a fake name,” she said.
“We are waiting for the result of the autopsy and the Ivorian government has promised that everything will be done and no cover-ups.
“We don’t expect that this case we just go away like that, the case must go on; so that even in death she must get justice. NiDCOM has written to Interpol. They should look into it.
“The office of the attorney-general is following the case, the Nigeria government won’t allow it to go away like that.”
