NiDCOM Confirms Nigerian Lady Wrongfully Jailed 10 Years In Cote d’Ivoire
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), in conjunction with the Nigeria Mission in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, has confirmed that one Itunu Babalola from Oyo State was wrongfully held in a prison in that country after she was said to have reported a theft incident at her apartment to the country’s police in 2019.
Reports about Babalola’s incarceration went viral on social media on Monday as many Twitter users called on the federal government to intervene in the matter.
Advertisement
She was said to be serving jail term in the country since 2019.
NIDCOM, in a tweet on Friday, disclosed that “it is now confirmed that Itunu Babalola, a Nigerian living in Abidjan was wrongfully charged and incarcerated for a crime she did not commit.”
The commission observed that since it was a court that sentenced her, it would now engage lawyers to secure her release.
“Plans are underway to engage the services of a legal Luminary to prove the innocence of Itunu Babalola at the Court of Appeal after the accused had spent two years out of a ten-year jail term for an offense she did not commit.
Advertisement
“Itunu Babalola whose family is from Oyo State, Nigeria has been living in Bondoukou, Cote d’Ivoire for a long time but got entangled in a legal battle when she reported the burglary of her house to the Police.
“On efforts made to secure her bail, the prosecutor said it is only the Court that can grant her bail as she has already been convicted. We will continue to monitor the case as it unfolds,” it tweeted.
