When he hosted the new Indonesian ambassador to Nigeria, Harry Purwanto at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday, President Goodluck Jonathan began negotiations with him for a moratorium on three Nigerians who are facing imminent execution in that country.

The three Nigerians are Silvester Obiekwe Nwolise (39), Okwudili Oyatanze (40), and Spanish born Nigerian Raheem Agbaje Salami (45). They are facing execution alongside six other foreign nationals for drug-related offences by the Indonesian authorities.

Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, rejected pleas for clemency, saying the country is suffering a drug emergency and already, Indonesia’s attorney-general, Muhammad Prasetyo, says preparations have been concluded at the execution site were they are to face a firing squad.

It is unclear when the execution will take place, but yesterday,  Australian Andrew Chan (31), his country man, Myuran Sukumaran (33), Agbaje Salami, and Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso (30) from the Philippines were moved to Nusakambangan, a high security prison island where executions are conducted.

Other countries with nationals to be executed are Brazil, France and Ghana.

The Scoop quotes an anonymous presidential source as saying that: “The president met with the Indonesian delegation and was quite persuasive in making the case that a moratorium be placed on the execution of the Nigerians on death row.”

The source however said that the government is not coming out to make statements or make a show about its efforts in trying to ensure that the lives of the Nigerian citizens are spared because, “in this political season, if anything goes wrong during the negotiations, opponents of the president would not consider the efforts put in and will simply make a meal out of the issue.”

The other countries involved, as well as Amnesty International have been pleaded with the Indonesian government to halt plans to go ahead with the planned execution.

Brazil postponed accepting the credentials of Indonesia’s newly designated envoy in protest, while Australia called for a ‘reciprocation’ of the $1 billion 2004 tsunami aid package by sparing the lives of its citizens.