Philippines arraigns Chinese employer, five others for alleged murder of Nigerian Medical student

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) says the persons involved in the murder of a Nigerian medical student, Ikem, in the Philippines, have been arraigned in court.

NIDCOM disclosed this in a statement released on its X handle on November 14.

A Nigerian, Michael Ojuola in October took to X to raise an alarm over the murder of his friend, Ikem. Michael had said that the medical student experienced a series of torture from a group of Chinese nationals which led to his death.

Ojuola wrote:

“A friend of mine, a Nigerian Medical Student named Ikem studying in the Republic of Philippines was brutally murdered by a group of Chinese. They tied his hands up, covered and tied his mouth and was beaten blue-black until he gave up the ghost. This should never be allowed to get swept under the carpet regardless of the relationship btw the Philippines and China. This is so inhuman and barbaric! I can’t even think straight at the moment cos of the horrific videos I’m getting right now from the hospital.”

Giving an update on the matter, the commission’s statement stated that its chairman and CEO, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, met with the Senate Joint Committees on Diaspora and Intergovernmental Affairs and Foreign Affairs where she informed them that the employer of Ikem had been charged with murder, along with five others.

The statement reads:

“She also said that a viral video by a man posted on social media recently alleging that 250 Nigerians are slated for killing in Ethiopia was totally false and untrue. This was the highlight of the investigative hearing of the Joint Senate Committees presided over in Abuja on Monday by Sen. Victor Umeh, saying on the case of Ikem, who was brutally murdered,  the Philippines authorities have declared the employer, who has since been on the run,  wanted.

Dabiri-Erewa said that the Nigerian Embassy had informed the  Department of Foreign Affairs in the Philippines and also reported the case to the Inspector General of the Philippines National Police. The Embassy, she added, had maintained regular contact with the line police station at the location; with a strong directive to go for the investigation.

Dabiri-Erewa said the investigating police team on the case are done with evidence building and presented the case to the Mandaue City prosecuting Department for action; which has evaluated it and deemed it fit for murder case filing.

They have filed the case and issued a warrant of arrest to the boy’s employee and five other suspects; they are charged with murder, human trafficking and operation of illegal business in the Philippines.

The NiDCOM boss who gave the committee, a copy of the pictures of the suspects, said the pictures have been forwarded to all exits in the Philippines to prevent them from leaving the country.

She stressed that the case will be held as soon as the major suspect, still at large, is arrested.

On Nigerians in Ethiopian prisons, she said the official information received is that 160 Nigerians were serving various jail terms under very poor conditions and that over 90 per cent of them were for drug-related offences.

She told the Committees that to decongest the prisons, amnesty was granted to them but a majority of them went back and still committed the same crime.

She said that a Memorandum of Understanding was entered into awaiting the Ministry of Justice in Nigeria to sign its side of the deal to enable prisoners to be swapped or to continue their jail term in their respective countries.

In addition, she explained that most of those caught are those transiting from Addis Ababa to other countries of the world.

Other stakeholders  who appeared before the Committees were Hon. Amb.  Enya  Francis , Director, Consular representing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the sister of the deceased, Blessing Essien, President of National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) Mr John Ogar and Country Representative Commonwealth Students Association (CSA), Mr Nwanba Chidubem.”

Speaking in the same vein, the Director Consular in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Enya Francis said they are in close contact with the Embassy and are on top of the matter.

“Francis said the corpse is yet to be buried as it will cost between N31 million to N35 million to repatriate and bury the corpse in Nigeria as against  N10 million to N15 million to cremate it in the Philippines. He said the cost of keeping the corpse at the funeral home is accruing N30,000 on a daily basis, hence the need to expedite action on the investigation and take appropriate action. Speaking on behalf of the family of the deceased, Blessings Essien,  Ikem elder sister, said he was the only son of the family and in line with Igbo tradition, it would be an honour to bring the body back to Nigeria for burial,” the statement read.