By Achadu Gabriel, Abuja
A Washington D.C.–based human rights lawyer, Emmanuel Ogebe, has successfully secured freedom for two death row inmates in separate jurisdictions within two years, overturning final court decisions in Indonesia and Nigeria through sustained legal advocacy and executive intervention.
The cases, which involved Nigerian nationals Emmanuel Ihejirika and Sunday Jackson, highlight ongoing debates around capital punishment, judicial error, and access to justice for indigent defendants. Both men were sentenced to death by the highest courts in their respective countries before Ogebe intervened.Ihejirika was arrested in Bali, Indonesia, in the early 2000s on allegations of attempting to smuggle heroin. Initially sentenced to life imprisonment, his punishment was later upgraded to death by firing squad after a higher court concluded that a forged Sierra Leonean passport in his possession suggested serial drug trafficking.
He spent nearly 20 years on death row as Indonesia carried out executions for drug-related offences, including those of foreign nationals. Court records later revealed inconsistencies in his identity, as he was tried as a Sierra Leonean rather than a Nigerian, raising questions of mistaken identity under Indonesian law.Ogebe took up Ihejirika’s case pro bono, focusing on the identity discrepancies as a basis for legal review. He worked with Nigeria’s Charge d’Affaires in Indonesia, Patricia Alechenu, and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), chaired by Abike Dabiri-Erewa.On December 24, 2023, Ihejirika returned to Nigeria after receiving legal relief, ending nearly two decades under a death sentence.
The second case involved Sunday Jackson, a farmer from Don village in Adamawa State. In 2015, Jackson was involved in a fatal altercation with a Fulani herdsman who allegedly attacked him with a knife while grazing cattle on his farm.Jackson, who sustained multiple injuries, was charged with murder and later sentenced to death by hanging. His claim of self-defence was rejected by the courts, and in March 2025, Nigeria’s Supreme Court upheld the sentence.After reviewing the case in 2021, Ogebe identified constitutional issues, including a delay exceeding the legally permitted timeframe between final arguments and judgment. He escalated the matter to international forums, including the United Nations and legislative bodies in the United States and United Kingdom.Despite the Supreme Court ruling, Ogebe pursued executive clemency. The father of the deceased herdsman also submitted a letter seeking forgiveness for Jackson.
On December 24, 2025, Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri granted Jackson a pardon under a Christmas clemency order, leading to his release after more than a decade in custody.Ogebe described the two releases as rare outcomes in death penalty cases, noting the need for broader judicial review and clearer legal standards on self-defence. He continues to advocate for reforms aimed at preventing wrongful convictions and compensating individuals affected by judicial errors.
