Libyan authorities released 19 Nigerian prisoners, on Wednesday, leaving 13 others in jail after the country accepted pleas to suspend death sentences on the detainees weeks ago, a House of Representatives release said yesterday.
The chairperson of the House committee on Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said the remaining prisoners are being held on the grounds of providing information to the Nigerian representatives who made appeals for amnesty for the Nigerians through the African Union Rights Commission.
"Some of the detainees still in the prison were actually the people who sensitized us on the pitiable plight of Nigerians in Libya prisons before the committee intervention that saw the amnesty and subsequent release of several of them," Ms. Dabiri-Erewa said on Thursday.
According to the report, those being held include Chinedu Orji, Valentine Okoye, Solomon Chkwu Francis, Ismail Monday Ahanwanti and Ibrahim Olawale Jimoh.
Others are David Shedrach, Chidi Adam, Edmond Ojo and Abdulazeez Babjide, Adewale Adeoye, Stanley Okor and George William Emmanuel.
African Commission intervenes
The African Rights Commission in Banjul, The Gambia, on September 9, had requested the Libyan Government to suspend the execution of the Nigerians, citing African Treaties on Human Rights and Death Penalty which Libya is a signatory to.
The release of the 19 Nigerians also comes after Nigerian rights groups made appeals and protests to the authorities in the North African country said to be holding an estimated 700 Nigerians for offences bordering on drug and immigration.
The House committee said it has sent out further appeals to the government of Libya to release the remaining 13 for the amnesty to be complete.
"We appeal to the Libyan government to endeavour to free the 13 Nigerians still being held in prison. We are also calling on the Nigerian embassy officials in Libya to step up this campaign for these hapless people to regain their freedom," the statement said.


Reader Comments (15)
post a comment
* = Required information