The House of Representatives has vowed to unravel circumstances surrounding the death of Itunu Babalola, a Nigerian lady who recently died in a Cote D’Ivoire prison under strange circumstances.
This was disclosed by the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora, Hon. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, during a condolence visit to the parents of the deceased in Ibadan.
Also, all the action necessary to unravel this case will be encouraged, which may include a thorough coroners’ inquest to investigate the circumstances surrounding Itunu Babalola’s death.
It would be recalled that the late Babalola, popularly known as, Becky Paul, was reported to have been sentenced for an offence she did not commit in the Francophone country.
Akande-Sadipe said the Ivorian Ambassador to Nigeria, will have to ensure that this wrongful incarceration that resulted to the death of a Nigerian citizen is investigated urgently.
She reiterated that the House of Representatives is always committed to the safety of Nigerians in the diaspora, and will not rest until it gets justice for Itunu Babalola, even in death, noting that the Committee on Diaspora is not satisfied with the result of the autopsy carried out in Cote d’Ivoire.
Akande-Sadipe, therefore, appealed to the Federal Government not to let Itunu’s death be swept under the carpet.
“Itunu will be vindicated and her name will be cleared. It is not going to stop here, I promise”, she said.
Speaking during the visit, Itunu’s father, Emmanuel Babalola, in tears, said the family can only have closure through a thorough investigation into the cause of their daughter’s death, adding that through an independent toxicologist, the cause of her death can be established.
Thanking Hon. Akande-Sadipe for her kind gesture, Mr. Babalola reiterated that Itunu was victimised in prison and appealed to Federal Government to wade into the matter, urgently.
