Etim Okpoyo, Nigerian Ambassador to Rome, assured Hands...

Etim Okpoyo, Nigerian Ambassador to Rome, assured Hands Off Cain that the Federal Government will not allow Safiya Hussaini to be stoned to death.
"The Federal government will not allow Safiya to be killed. The government is very concerned and is taking care of the situation," Ambassador Okpoyo told a Hands Off Cain delegation accompanied by the Italian Green Party President Grazia Francescato and Margherita Senator Natale D'Amico.
The delegation had requested a meeting with the Nigerian Ambassador in Rome this morning to present an appeal to President Olusegun Obasanjo against the execution of Safiya Hussaini.
Hussaini, 35, was condemned to death for adultery in the northern Sokoto State, which applies the Sharia law, in October.
She will be stoned to death once the baby she has recently delivered is weaned. Her case is scheduled for hearing by the Sharia Court of Appeal in Sokoto on November 27, though she is currently in hiding.
"If the lady is not satisfied with the Sharia Appeal Court, then she can got to the Federal Appeal Court, and if she is still not satisfied, she can appeal to the Supreme Court," Mr Okpoyo said.
The Ambassador was adamant that her case should not be politicised and said that no Nigerian citizen will allow the religious strife between the Muslim and Christian states in Nigeria to destroy the country.
He underlined that Nigeria is one of the freest countries on the African continent as regards freedom of speech and association.
Hands Off Cain plans to visit the country in the coming months.
The announcement was well-received by the Ambassador who said his embassy would undertake to make all the necessary travel arrangements and contacts the Nigerian authorities and NGOs.
"I will pass it on to the Nigerian authorities that Hands Off Cain, the Italian Green Party, and the distinguished Senator, and even the Italian people are concerned with the fate of one Nigerian woman sentenced to death in one of our states," the Ambassador said.
"I myself am concerned as a Nigerian and as a human being. More than before, we are delighted that humans are showing concern about what is happening outside their regions. This means that you are coming out of your shell, which is what we have been asking for.
"Underdeveloped countries need to pay debts. We have no money to build schools or hospitals, and we need our debts to be written off, and we call on you to present our case to the relevant authorities. If our debts aren't written off, we risk a repeat of what happened in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Non governmental organisations have a major part to play in bringing our voice to the relevant authorities on this."
Green Party President Grazia Francescato replied that the Italian Parliament is working towards debt relief for debt-ridden countries.
The meeting was followed by a demonstration by Hands Off Cain and Green Party activists. Ambassador Okpoyo repeated his assurances to the demonstrators, re-affirming his assurances that Safiya will not be condemned to death, and therefore there was no need for "muscle-flexing."