The Federal government 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.
The Chairman Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa who made this known on Monday in a statement by the Commission’s Head of Media, Abdur-Rahman Balogun said Babalola died in the hospital on Sunday from complications from diabetes.
TheFact Nigeria gathered that NIDCOM in conjunction with the Nigeria Mission in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, had on March 19, 2021 confirmed that Babalola, who hailed from Oyo State, was wrongfully held in a prison after she was said to have reported a theft incident at her apartment to the country’s police in 2019.
The accused who happens to be related to an Ivorian police man, asked her to drop the case, but she refused.
Itunnu 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 Divoire supported by the Nigerian community, got her a lawyer, paid part payment of legal fees for the lawyer, to appeal the judgment , while at the same time seeking diplomatic intervention from the Nigeria 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.
Dabiri-Erewa,described the death of Itunu as a tragic blow, at a time the Nigerian mission in Côte Divoire had paid and engaged the services of a lawyer to handle Itunnu’s appeal case.
The commission said, “The staff of the Nigerian 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 developed 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.
“Her death, will, however, not stop the appeal in court in order to vindicate her of the charges against her”.
