The federal government of Nigeria has demanded for full autopsy on the sudden and mysterious death of Itunu Babalola, a Nigerian sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in Côte Divoire for alleged human trafficking.
This demand is contained in a statement signed by the chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NIDCOM, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, and released by the commission’s Head of Media, Abdur-Rahman Balogun.
NIDCOM stated that Itunnu’s case was drawn to its attention about five months ago.
Dabiri-Erewa described the death of Itunnu as a tragic blow, at a time the Nigerian mission in Côte Divoire had paid and engaged the services of a lawyer to handle Itunu’s appeal case.
“Unfortunately, Itunu died abruptly while all hands were on deck to seek both legal and diplomatic intervention for her by Nigeria.
Itunu was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for an offence she did not apparently commit.
Itunnu had accused an Ivorian of robbery at her residence and insisted on filing a case against him.
The accused who happens to be related to an Ivorian police man asked her to drop the case, but she refused.
Itunu went ahead to file charges against him and allegedly used a different name (not her real name ) to file the case and somehow a case of robbery which she filed mysteriously turned to a case of human trafficking against her.
She was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment while the Nigerian mission in Cote D’Ivoire supported by the Nigerian community, got her a lawyer, made part payment of legal fees for the lawyer to appeal the judgment while at the same time seeking diplomatic intervention from the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The staff of the Nigeria mission had also visited Itunu in prison, a distance of over four hours from Abidjan.
While the appeal case was on, Itunu was said to have complications from diabetes and was rushed to the hospital.
The fees for the treatment was paid by the Nigerian mission through the lawyer whose services were engaged by the mission, unfortunately, she died suddenly after a few days of admission at the hospital.
