Chijioke Stephen Obioha

Chijioke Stephen Obioha (c. 1978 – 18 November 2016) was a Nigerian citizen who was arrested by authorities in Singapore in 2007 for possession of 2.6 kg of cannabis, exceeding the 500 gram amount that triggers automatic presumption of trafficking.[1] He was executed by Singapore in November 2016.

Early life

Obioha graduated from Benin University with a degree in industrial chemistry, and moved to Singapore in 2005 to join a football club.[2]

Case

Obioha was arrested for possession of cannabis on April 9, 2007, and was convicted of drug trafficking on 30 December 2008. He was sentenced to death as this offence warrants the mandatory death penalty in Singapore at that time.[1] He lost his appeal in 2010, but his execution was among those put on hold when the government began to review the mandatory death penalty laws in Singapore. After the new death penalty laws took effect in January 2013, where drug traffickers are given the chance to be re-sentenced in accordance to the new changes to the death penalty, where people convicted of drug trafficking can be sentenced to life imprisonment with caning provided that they only act as couriers, substantively helping the authorities to tackle drug trafficking activities or suffering from mental illnesses etc., Obioha filed for re-sentencing in May 2015, but for unknown reasons, he withdrew it in April 2016.[3]

Obioha later filed another appeal and a plea for clemency to seek a successful attempt to escape the gallows, but they were all met with failure; his appeal for a stay of execution was also dismissed. In late 2016, Obioha filed an "eleventh hour" challenge to the Court of Appeals; his application was heard one day prior to his execution.[4] On November 18, 2016, Obioha was executed by the Singaporean government.[5] Obioha's execution was on the same day as that of 31-year-old Malaysian drug trafficker Devendran A/L Supramaniam, who was sentenced to death on 29 July 2014 for importing more than 83g of diamorphine into Singapore and also exhausted all his avenues of appeal. Both men were reportedly "accorded full due process under the law".[6] Obioha was 38 years old at the time of his death.

Reactions

In November 2016, Amnesty International called for an immediate halt to Obioha's execution, stating "The death penalty is never the solution. It will not rid Singapore of drugs. By executing people for drug-related offences, which do not meet the threshold of most serious crimes, Singapore is violating international law."[7]

Abike Dabiri, the Nigerian Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora stated: "While we regret the death of the Nigerian, we once again appeal to Nigerians to avoid crimes like drug trafficking with most countries especially in Asia declaring zero tolerance for drug trafficking."[8]

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References
  1. Amnesty International pleads for Nigerian to be executed in Singapore ▷ NAIJ.COM
  2. Singapore set to execute Chijioke Obioha for drug possession - Daily Post Nigeria
  3. Boh, Samantha (18 November 2016). "Two drug traffickers hanged for their offences". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  4. 11th-hour court appeals now need to be explained, Singapore News & Top Stories - The Straits Times
  5. Metro - Nigerian Chijioke Obioha Executed By Singaporean Gov't | Nigerian Bulletin - Nigeria News Updates
  6. Boh, Samantha (18 November 2016). "Two drug traffickers hanged for their offences". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  7. Singapore: Halt execution now | Amnesty International
  8. "Planned execution of Nigerian in Singapore heartbreaking – Dabiri-Erewa", Today, Nigeria, November 18, 2016, archived from the original on April 29, 2017, retrieved April 28, 2017
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