Escaping Death Penalty: 25-Year-Old Nigerian Drug Dealer Escapes From Malaysian Prison, Flees To Thailand

Osuji Kelly Prince, a Nigerian drug dealer, who escaped from a detention facility in Malaysia on August 12, may have fled to Thailand, media reports from Malaysia said on Monday.

25-year-old Prince was assisted by a 52-year-old corporal to escape from Jinjang Detention Centre, where he was held for drugs possession.

Federal Narcotics Crime Investigation Department chief Noor Rashid Ibrahim said he obtained this information through their intelligence network.

“He had it planned all along and we are working with Thai police to trace him and have him deported to Malaysia,” he said.

Prince was arrested by Malaysian authorities on August 1 with 9 kilograms of methamphetamine (called syabu in Malaysia). The drugs were believed to be worth about N439 million (RM9 million).

The 52-year-old corporal, who had pending disciplinary issues related to his work prior to the case, has been charged in court for aiding Prince’s escape.

According to Malaysian laws, drug trafficking/dealing is punished by the death penalty. The latest example is the Nigerian student, Ugonna Philip Nwankwo, who was sentenced to death by the Malaysian Shah Alam High Court on July 25, 2013.