The 21-year-old Babalola’s death on November 14 shocked many Nigerians who have demanded justice. She was a trader in Bondoukou, Cote d’Ivoire, before she had a dispute with an Ivorien who broke into her apartment. She reported the case to the police, who later turned the case against her and locked her up where she eventually died.
Speaking on the autopsy report released by the Cote D’Ivoire governmenter, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairperson of the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission, NiDCOM said the report was unacceptable to the Nigerian government, adding that the Buhari administration will ensure that justice is served on the matter.
The NiDCOM boss said: “I am not a doctor, but when I saw the autopsy result which stated, ‘Sepsis complicated by acute respiratory distress,’ that was not acceptable to me without being a doctor and I don’t think that should be accepted. I believe Nigeria should not let this matter go just like that. We need to demand justice.
“How come after everything had been done, the case was transferred to Abidjan? The lawyer’s fee had been paid and what was just left was for her to get out of prison.
Everything had been done and we were so sure. Even the prosecution said the girl was not guilty of the crime she was accused of, so how come she died just like that?”
Dabiri-Erewa said further that the autopsy report is unquestionable. According to her “we are not God, but these questions must be answered. This autopsy result, even to me, doesn’t appear acceptable. What is ‘Sepsis complicated by acute respiratory distress?’ How did it happen? I hope that we will not let this matter go just like that.
“The police officer involved in this matter, we have reported him to INTERPOL. We are not ready to relent. That police officer must be questioned. I am sure that the Minister of Foreign Affairs will take the next necessary steps to demand from Cote D‘Ivoire a lot more information than they had given.”
Thee Charge D’Affaires of the Nigerian Mission in Côte D’Ivoire, Mohammed Gana, had disclosed that Babalola was wrongly convicted and later jailed for a crime she did not commit. He said the case was twisted by the police in order to punish the deceased.
“Investigations carried out also indicated that the former prosecutor, in collaboration with the police, twisted her case and accused Babalola of human trafficking which led to her conviction for 20 years even though the sentence was reduced to 10 years from which she has served two years so far,” Mohammed said.
