Chijioke Stephen Obioha

Chijioke Stephen Obioha ( –2016) was a Nigerian citizen who was arrested by authorities in Singapore in 2007 for possession of 2.6kg 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 in April 9, 2007, and was convicted of drug trafficking on 30 December, 2008.[1] In late 2016, Obioha filed an "eleventh hour" challenge to the Court of Appeals; his application was heard one day prior to his execution.[3] On November 18, 2016, Obioha was executed by the Singaporean government.[4]

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."[5]

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."[6]

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. 11th-hour court appeals now need to be explained, Singapore News & Top Stories - The Straits Times
  4. Metro - Nigerian Chijioke Obioha Executed By Singaporean Gov't | Nigerian Bulletin - Nigeria News Updates
  5. Singapore: Halt execution now | Amnesty International
  6. "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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