Lekan Otufodunrin

Worried by the growing number of Nigerians being sentenced to death abroad for various offences, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called on the federal government to adopt comprehensive measures to check the trend.
Ten Nigerians were recently sentenced to death by the Indonesian government for alleged involvement in drug-related offences.
Eleven others have been sentenced to flogging and various jail terms in connection with a murder case in Saudi Arabia.
In a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja the nation’s capital city, which was signed by NHRC’s Chief Public Affairs Officer, Lambert Oparah, the commission said the trend was a disgrace.
``This situation should be a source of worry to the Government and people of Nigeria whose image in the international community is further tarnished by these criminal activities.
``The situation is more worrisome as the victims of these unfortunate circumstances are Nigerians in their prime," it further said
The federal government and other relevant authorities were urged to explore provisions in existing legal and international instruments to ensure the death sentences passed on Nigerians were converted to life imprisonment and the victims repatriated.
To prevent the re-occurrence of the ugly trend, NHRC advised that the government should look at the circumstances which encouraged young Nigerians to abandon their fatherland to indulge in unwholesome activities.
“The issue of the economic and social rights of Nigerians deserved to be given attention with a view to making provisions for all Nigerians to explore” the Commission stated