Chijioke Obioha, a 38-year-old Nigerian, was executed in Singapore on Friday after being convicted of drug trafficking, as reported by the local media.
Obioha was hanged in Changi Prison early in the morning. He was executed alongside a Malaysian citizen who had been found guilty of separate drug offences. The country’s anti-narcotics bureau issued a statement confirming the execution.
In April 2007, Obioha was arrested for possessing over 2.6 kilograms of cannabis, surpassing the 500 grams threshold that triggers the presumption of trafficking under Singaporean law.
After being found guilty in December 2008, he was sentenced to death by hanging. His appeal, which was filed in 2010, was dismissed.
The execution took place just two days after the Singaporean government denied his appeal for clemency. Amnesty International, which had made significant efforts to overturn the death sentence, strongly condemned the scheduled execution of Mr. Obioha.
According to the rights group, “The death penalty is never the solution. It will not rid Singapore of drugs. By executing people for drug-related offences that do not meet the threshold of the most serious crimes, Singapore is violating international law.”
Mr. Obioha is the latest Nigerian to be executed for drug-related crimes in Southeast Asia. In 2007, Iwuchukwu Tochi faced execution in the same Changi Prison, despite appeals from the Nigerian government and threats of diplomatic consequences.
