2 Nigerians Set To Be Executed For Drug Trafficking In Indonesia This Sunday

Hansen Antonious Nwaolisa, a Nigerian drug trafficker executed in Indonesia in 2008. Photo credit: Daily Telegraph 

The Attorney General of Indonesia announced today that six individuals, an Indonesian national and five foreign nationals, all convicted of and sentenced to death for drug-related offences are going to be executed on 18 January 2015. 38-year old Daniel Enemuo, alias Diarrssouba was convicted in 2004. While 49-year old Namaona Denis was convicted in 2001. It will be the first execution under new President Joko Widodo who pledged no clemency for drug offenders, despite pleas from the European Union, the Brazilian government and Amnesty International.

The others due to be executed are from Indonesia, Vietnam, the Netherlands and Brazil. Daniel Enemuo, a Nigerian national, was sentenced to death by the Tangerang District Court in September 2004 for attempting to smuggle 1.150 grams of heroin into the country from Pakistan in January 2004.

Namaona Denis, was reportedly born in Nigeria but travelled to Indonesia with a Malawian passport. He was sentenced to death by the Bandung High court in 2001 after being convicted of smuggling 940 grams of heroin at the Soekarno-Hatta airport in Jakarta. According to his lawyers, Denis did not understand his trial proceedings as he was not provided with adequate interpretation.

According to Amnesty, Five of them are reportedly going to be executed on Nusakambangan Island while Tran Thi Bich Hanh is to be executed in Boloyali district, both in Central Java.

Death sentences in Indonesia are carried out by firing squad. The prisoner has the choice of standing or sitting and whether to have their eyes covered, by a blindfold or hood. Firing squads are made up of 12 people, three of whose rifles are loaded with live ammunition, while the other nine are loaded with blanks.