FG demands explanation into death of Nigerian in Cote D’ivoire prison

By BENNETH JOSHUA, Abuja

The federal government has said that it is making efforts to unravel the sudden death of Ìtùnú Babalola, a Nigerian who allegedly developed complications from Diabetes while in prison in Cote D’ivoire.

A statement on Monday by the Head of Media, Public Relations Unit of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abdur-Rahman Balogun, said the federal government “has demanded for full autopsy on the sudden and mysterious death of Ìtùnú Babalola, a Nigerian, sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in Côte D’ivoire for alleged human trafficking.”

The statement also said that the deceased “was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for an offence she did not apparently commit.”

It revealed that “Itunnu had accused an Ivorian of robbery at her residence and insisted on filing a case against him.

The accused who happens to be related to an Ivorian police man, asked her to drop the case, but she refused.

Itunnu went ahead to file charges against him and allegedly used a different name ( not her real name ) to file the case and somehow a case of robbery which she filed mysteriously turned to a case of human trafficking against her.

She was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment while the Nigerian mission in Cote Divoire supported by the Nigerian community, got her a lawyer, paid part payment of legal fees for the lawyer, to appeal the judgment , while at the same time seeking diplomatic intervention from the Nigeria Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

Explaining that staff of the Nigeria mission had also visited Itunu in prison, a distance of over four hours from Abidjan; the NIDCOM Boss, Abike Dabiliri Erewa, as quoted in the statement, lamented that the victim’s death was “a tragic blow, at a time the Nigerian mission in Côte Divoire had paid and engaged the services of a lawyer to handle Itunnu’s appeal case.”

NIDCOM noted that she passed on while been to the hospital; adding that her death her death will however not stop the appeal in court in order to vindicate her of the charges against her.”

This is as the Commission disclosed that fees for the late Itunnu’s treatment was paid by the Nigerian mission through the lawyer whose services were engaged for the purpose. (Daily Independent)