Nigerian Faces Dead Penalty In China For Excrating Wraps Of Cocaine

The High People’s Court of Guangdong Province, China, has finally confirmed a death sentence with two years probation on a Nigerian, Mr. Ikechukwu
Peter Obiekezie, who was reportedly found guilty of smuggling 1410.9 grams of cocaine into China.

Details reaching nigeria disclosed that Obiekezie, with Nigerian standard Passport No. A50296207, was on 2 October, 2016, arrested at the Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, China, upon arrival from Addis Ababa
aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight No. ET 606 on suspicion of smuggled drugs, which he swallowed and brought to China.

Hehas been in detention since then, Obiekezie was on August 18, 2017, issued a death sentence, following rejection of an appeal made at the Intermediate Peoples’ court of Guangzhou on April 7, 2017, after he was declared guilty of smuggling the hard drug into China and was given suspended death sentence.

A follow up report from the Nigerian Consulate General in Guangzhou, China, disclosed that, the death sentence, in the case of Obiekezie, will not be carried out within the period of two years if the convict shows remorse, good behavior and if no new crime is intentionally committed during the two-year probationary period.

The Consulate also said that the death sentence will be reduced to life or 10 to 15 years imprisonment if the convict remains of good behaviour.

“Capital Punishment is a legal penalty in the People’s Republic of China. 

It is mostly enforced for murder and drug trafficking, and executions are carried out by lethal injection or shooting.

“There is widespread public support for capital punishment, especially as a penalty for violent crimes. 

The People’s Republic of China executes the highest number of people annually.

It also stressed that cases of drug smuggling into the People’s Republic of China is giving Nigeria a bad image in China, adding that, “Presently, there are more than 500 Nigerians serving jail terms for drug trafficking and over 200 languishing in jail for illegal residence in China.

“The Consular problems arising from this barrage of drug related activities of Nigerians have overwhelmed the staff of the Consulate-General of Nigeria in Guangzhou, China.

“On 31 July, 2017, a Nigerian with drugs in his system died aboard the Ethiopian airlines flight to Guangzhou”.