No need to cry over spilt milk. The guy has been hanged.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6300989.stm

This is a lesson to others in the business. The arm of the law is long.

Singapore executes drug smugglers
Vigil outside Singapore's Changi Prison
Activists hung up a football shirt to mark Tochi's love of the game
Singapore has executed two African men for drug smuggling after rejecting appeals for clemency by Nigeria's president, the UN and rights groups.

Iwuchukwu Amara Tochi, 21, of Nigeria, and 35-year-old Okeke Nelson Malachy, a stateless African, were hanged at dawn.

A small group of activists held an overnight vigil outside the prison.

Singapore has some of the strictest drugs laws in the world and a long history of ignoring pleas for clemency from foreign governments.

Tochi was arrested at the airport in Singapore in 2004, carrying almost a million dollars worth of heroin.

Malachy was convicted as the intended recipient of the drugs.

'Duty'

Both men were hanged at around 0600 (200GMT) at Changi Prison, officials said.

About 10 activists held an overnight vigil outside the prison compound, hanging a football shirt on the wall as a mark of Tochi's love of the game.

He maintained he had gone to Singapore to take part in a football tournament.

On the eve of their execution, the Singapore government released a letter Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had sent to Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo.

"Mr Tochi's family will find Singapore's position difficult to accept, but we have a duty to safeguard the interests of Singaporeans, and protect the many lives that would otherwise be ruined by the drug syndicates," he wrote.

Mr Obasanjo, along with the UN and human rights groups, had appealed for restraint.

Singapore is believed to have one of the world's highest rates of execution per capita, the BBC's Andrew Harding reports from the tiny city state.

Just over a year ago, the Australian government angrily condemned the hanging of one of its citizens convicted on drug trafficking charges.

whew!!!!

this is merely just one more reason it is becoming clear that Nigeria is NOT respected anywhere in the world!

Singapore would NEVER have hung a US citizen!

Very sad, but I'm sure the dude knew about the death sentence for drug trafficking in Singapore

davidylan:

this is merely just one more reason it is becoming clear that Nigeria is NOT respected anywhere in the world!

Singapore would NEVER have hung a US citizen!

They have, and the guy deserved what he got. Do the crime, face the LAW!

davidylan:

this is merely just one more reason it is becoming clear that Nigeria is NOT respected anywhere in the world!

Singapore would NEVER have hung a US citizen!

I feel pity for our man, but honestly, if we wont do justice to our own citizens, let other countries do it. Is what he did right? Who told you that Singapore would never hang a US citizen. Let one of them go carry drugs and lets see. Even if he's not hanged, he would be extradicted back to America where he'll face the law. If the Tochi guy is extradicted back to Nigeria, he will walk away from the airport. He would fund policemen to avert the law, yet the same policemen will crucify someone that stole pure-water.

Do you know that the largest congregation of Nigerian prisoners in the world is in Thailand - all for drugs. Is it a shame. They are so many that they consitute a major force in Thai prisons.

Its like what the oldies use to say: a child that doesnt receive home-training at home will receive it by force outside, and with repercussions.

kimba:

Its like what the oldies use to say: a child that doesnt receive home-training at home will receive it by force outside, and with repercussions.

hard talk. . . . . .true talk.

Yepa , O ma ga oooooo. So they still hung that guy. i pity the dude. Well, it's just a proof to show that they do not tolerate nonsense in d country. Just immagine d same situation with (Wunmi) the Nigerian Movie Star, how they sentence her to 3yrs imprisonment, don't u think countries like Singapore would have been watching how Nigerians always prosecute offenders? But this should teach others a lesson not to engage in such a bad business.

i hear say the guy was a naive dude in search of soccer glory and some crook gave him that stuff to deliver. wow! but who would believe such a story. he was caught. that is final.the law has no emotions.

THIS IS FOR YOU TOCHI AMARA. THOUGH I KNOW YOU NOT, YOU ARE STILL MY BROTHER.( R.I.P)

Man In Black Lyrics

Well, you wonder why I always dress in black,
Why you never see bright colors on my back,
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone.
Well, there's a reason for the things that I have on.

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he's a victim of the times.

I wear the black for those who never read,
Or listened to the words that Jesus said,
About the road to happiness through love and charity,
Why, you'd think He's talking straight to you and me.

Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose,
In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes,
But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there ought 'a be a Man In Black.

I wear it for the sick and lonely old,
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold,
I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been,
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.

And, I wear it for the thousands who have died,
Believen' that the Lord was on their side,
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died,
Believen' that we all were on their side.

Well, there's things that never will be right I know,
And things need changin' everywhere you go,
But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You'll never see me wear a suit of white.

Ah, I'd love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything's OK,
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
'Till things are brighter, I'm the Man In Black.

where are his chairmen only god knows how many nigerians have gone this way, i really dont believe one will be aware of extreme concequences of an act and still participate,

its either the boy was completely naive or he had more love for many than he did for his life,

It is with great sadness that we compose this press message regarding the death sentence on Iwuchukwu Amara Tochi to be hanged at dawn on 26th January after a lengthy, lonely and soul-destroying imprisonment.

Tochi was arrested for allegedly carrying heroin into Changi airport in November 2004. He was 19 years old when he was arrested.

The court in Singapore delivered the death sentence after a 13-day trial.

Tochi has been waiting in maximum security section of Changi prison from 2004 until today. His family in Nigeria believed until July last year that he was playing football for a Singapore football team.

Tochi was indeed a champion footballer who played in Nigerian state league championships. He claims he was tricked into trafficking drugs to Singapore on the promise of being able to play for a club here.

It is particularly disturbing to note that the trial judge himself raised reasonable doubts in Tochi’s case, mentioning that it was entirely possible that Tochi did not know he was bringing in drugs to Singapore -before proceeding to convict him and pass the mandatory death penalty. *

At a time when the Singapore prison system has a renewed emphasis upon rehabilitation, and when the Yellow Ribbon campaign asks us to give even seasoned criminals a second chance, can we not find it in our hearts to extend this to a person who–if he indeed is guilty–made a desperate mistake at the age of 19?

The death sentence for drug trafficking in Singapore continues to be “mandatory”, which means that judges are not able to take into significance and mitigating circumstances (such as the age and general naivity of the accused) when passing their verdict.

And at a time when even the hangings of persons responsible for mass killings and genocide, such as Saddam Hussein and his cronies are being regarded with disgust by the world at large; are seen as reproducing the criminal cruelty of the original perpetrators, is it not time that we in Singapore reconsider our stance on the repeated, mandatory hanging of small-fry drug mules?

Its disheartening when capital punishment is always used, however when a country makes a law you MUST abide by it.

Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen, China etc have laws that state - getting caught trafficking in drugs means DEATH,

We have no laws in Nigeria, thats why our country is in shambles, look at the case of the actress 'Wumi', caught with over 1000 grams of cocaine and given a three year sentence or an option of N1million naira then she'll be free

How will it deter anyone else from carrying drugs?? Have u ever had a friend or family member that is a junkie?

Remember Lawal Ojulope, Batholomew Owoh and Bernard Ogedegbe?? The Idiagbon/Buhari administration executed them for drug trafficking, what happened after that The drug trade did not end, but it reduced. Thats why laws are made, because MAN if not governed by certain rukes will be nothing more than an animal. Life would thus be 'Brutish and Short'. Society MUST control some certain aspects of MAN's behaviour for it to sustain itself.

Am not one for capital punishment all the time. But RULES are RULES. Nigeria is just a banana republic where laws are made to be broken by the privildged elite. PERIOD!

Oh, by the way, someone said if he was a US citizen he won't have been hanged, think again , Singapore recently executed an Australian for the same offence.

Nguyen Tuong Van, 25 was executed 4nd Dec 2005 for drug trafficking.

Trust me, nobody wants to lose 3 million naira or a year of one's life. That's a lot of time and money.

What's important is not the gravity of punishment per se but the[b] likelihood of prosecution[/b].

If the crime is punishable by life imprisonment, but you can buy your way out of prosecution, you won't be deterred.

Nigeria has it backwards. Are laws are unreasonably harsh, but we cannot catch any offender.

This is to advise Nigerians that traveling abroad is not necessarily a passport to prosperity, for the most part, it could be a ticket to jail, the hangman's noose, an unmarked grave, a bullet in the temple, a life of misery and agony. Tochi's case will find a place in a revised version of the book. And the point is worth restating: that there are many young Nigerians who are tired of the scarcity of opportunities in their own country, talented and ambitious young men and women who want to express themselves and grow, they are left with no option but to opt for emigration; because it is so difficult to get a visa, they criss-cross from one country to the other, looking for a land that flows with milk and honey.

Iwuchukwu Amara Tochi completed his secondary school education in Nigeria and started playing youth soccer. He later went to Senegal to play football. In 2004, he decided to go to Asia in search of a football club that would engage him. But he had little money. He didn't know anybody. He made it to Pakistan, where having run out of funds, he decided to go to a Catholic church in Karachi to seek for help. This was where he met the fabled "Mr Smith", a fellow country man who offered to help him. Help came in this form: Tochi would get to Singapore, if he, Tochi would carry a package for one Marshall who would travel from Indonesia, meet him at the airport, collect the package and give him $2, 000 which would enable him to enter Singapore. When Tochi was accosted by Singapore security after hanging around the transit area for more than 24 hours, his only explanation was that he had come to Singapore to "try his luck" with football clubs. He had no clubs in mind, no contacts, and to worsen his case, no money. He was a prototypical illegal immigrant with ringing bells all over his body. Young Nigerians need to study the Tochi story carefully; travelling abroad, jumping from Senegal to Pakistan to Singapore or to wherever can be risky; the world out there is not like Nigeria where every fly from any part of the world can perch as long as that fly can grease the slimy hands of corrupt officials. By the time Tochi learnt his lesson and realised his mistake, it was too late. He is yet another victim of the failure of the Nigerian system. There are too many young Nigerians who are running into misery and danger simply because their country is not working. If the Nigerian league were well organized, if Nigerians did not need to sell themselves into the slavery of football, with every one rooting for a club in England or Europe, Iwuchukwu Amara Tochi would have been happy to play football at home and if he needed to go abroad, he would have been negotiating with scouts not with "Mr Smith". How did Nwankwo Kanu, Okocha, Mikel, and Osaro Odemwingie do it? Luck, sheer luck; for them also, it could have been worse.

The third point that I seek to make has to do with the carriage of luggage by Nigerian travellers. Amara Tochi did not know "Mr Smith". He had never met him before. And yet he collected a package from him to give to another stranger who failed to show up as arranged and he, Tochi was caught with the illegal substance that cost him his life. It may be said that Tochi was in a helpless situation and that he was powerless. But the fact is that many Nigerians would easily fall into the same trap. At virtual every airport in the world, you are advised not to leave your luggage unattended to, not to collect parcels from strangers and to make sure you packed your luggage yourself. In spite of this, Nigerians are terrible collectors and givers of extra load at airports. It is risky to tell neighbours that you are traveling abroad. They are bound to come with small parcels that they want you to take to their relations abroad. The thing would have been wrapped so tightly, you are not even expected to check the package. And curiously, they never send simple things, instead you would be required to help carry garri, yam flour, herbs, pepper and snails and all kinds of powdery and suspicious things.

When you get abroad, after your holiday, you would be surprised that on your way back, so many people would be pestering you to help them take things to their relations back home. They could ask you to help take money, but why don't they use Western union? Or letters and you wonder why don't they use DHL? Or it could be a big box, if you resist you would be told that you are entitled to so many kilogrammes of luggage. Many of them also send powdery and suspicious things: tablets for his ageing mother-in-law, a certain cream or lotion for his own father who is suffering from arthritis. So much pressure would be plied upon you and you could be made to look like a difficult person.

Most Nigerians have must have had their personal experiences.

Every Nigerian travelling abroad should learn to be careful. Beware of strangers who offer too much help and too much friendship.

Good Piece Nakewire, GOOD!

Someone gets hanged in Singapore and we turn and insult Nigeria