The death of an unjustly jailed Nigerian lady, Itunu Babalola in Ivory Coast, has sparked outrage as Nigerians took to social media to express their anger over the incident.
The 23-year-old Babalola, a trader based in Bondoukou, Cote d’Ivoire, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after her apartment was burgled and she reported to the local police who turned it against her.
A journalist, David Hundeyin who shared the story of Babalola on Twitter in March 2021, said the victims flat was burgled and items worth over N300, 000 was stolen. He added that she reported the case to the police but was offered N100, 000 as settlement to drop the case by the DPO stating that the suspect was his nephew.
He added that the victim rejected the settlement and was thereafter apprehended and charged to court on the grounds of human trafficking and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
When the news of Babalola surfaced in March 2021, the Nigerians In Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) said it was working to prove the innocence of Babalola.
Confirming the case, chairman of NIDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa said the lady was charged and incarcerated for a crime she didn’t commit.
The commission in a statement said, “Following painstaking investigations by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission and the Nigeria Mission in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, it is now confirmed that Itunu Babalola, a Nigerian living in Abidjan was wrongfully charged and incarcerated for a crime she did not commit.
“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 offence she did not commit.”
However, on Sunday night, lots of Nigerians were shocked when Hundeyin, who had been following the case, gave updates via his Twitter handle saying that Babalola had contracted an infection in the Ivorian prison.
He tweeted, “I have just received a message from Cote d’Ivoire about Itunu Babalola. She is still in prison in Abidjan where she has contracted a serious infection and apparently she is dying. All those promises by NIDCOM, Abike Dabiri, OYSG etc – audio. She’s finally dying.”
The journalist also uploaded photos of the young lady in an emergency situation being attended to on a stretcher by medical personnel.
After some hours, Hundeyin via his Twitter handle said the young lady gave up the ghost.
“Itunu is dead. She died this night. Just confirmed,” he said.
He added that, “Nigeria does absolutely nothing for the citizens, especially southerners but expects the citizens to love the country and uphold some magical patriotism. RIP Itunu. So sorry to her family.”