The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission has faulted a recent open letter by Amnesty International urging President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the case of Suleimon Olufemi, a Nigerian who has spent more than two decades on death row in Saudi Arabia, saying the rights group omitted key facts surrounding the matter.
SaharaReporters had reported that Amnesty International described Olufemi’s continued incarceration as an “unconscionable injustice” and called for stronger diplomatic engagement with Saudi authorities.
“Sulaimon Olufemi has been on death row for more than two decades. This prolonged ordeal must end,” Amnesty International Nigeria’s Country Director, Isa Sanusi, said.
“The Nigerian government must act decisively to ensure clarity on his legal status, secure him legal representation, and ensure that his death sentence is quashed.”
But in a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by its Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, NIDCOM said it was clarifying the circumstances of the case, which has attracted sustained media and human rights attention.
The commission said Olufemi travelled to Saudi Arabia for the lesser Hajj over 20 years ago and later visited a friend in Jeddah, where a Saudi police officer was killed in an incident that led to his arrest and prosecution.
NIDCOM said Olufemi has consistently denied responsibility for the killing and that while others involved in the incident received prison terms, he was sentenced to death.
“Unfortunately for him, while some got prison sentences, he got a death sentence,” the commission said.
The commission explained that under Saudi law, the family of a murder victim may either insist on capital punishment or grant a pardon in exchange for blood money.
It said when the victim’s child reached adulthood, the family opted for compensation and demanded $570,000.
NIDCOM said the demand was made about three and a half years ago following diplomatic efforts involving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nigerian Embassy in Saudi Arabia and the commission.
The commission accused Amnesty International of failing to assist at that critical point.
“Amnesty International was nowhere to be found then, when we approached them to collaborate to raise the funds required,” the statement said.
It said the money was eventually raised through a joint effort by NIDCOM, the Association of Nigerians in Saudi Arabia and private individuals, with the process driven by a GoFundMe campaign spearheaded by the Yaro brothers and supported by donations from Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Seyi Tinubu.
NIDCOM confirmed that the full $570,000 has now been paid into a dedicated account and that Nigerian authorities are awaiting the final decision of Saudi officials.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigeria Embassy in Saudi Arabia have been engaging the Saudi authorities on when Suleimon Olufemi will be released,” the commission said, adding that the Foreign Affairs Minister has briefed President Tinubu on the development.
The commission expressed optimism that Olufemi would regain his freedom soon, noting that he has spent “well over 20 years” in custody for an offence that “really cannot be proven that he committed.”
While acknowledging Amnesty International’s advocacy role, NIDCOM urged the organisation to be accurate and balanced in its public interventions.
It also disclosed that the commission’s chairperson met with Olufemi’s parents in Lagos in December 2020 and appealed to Saudi authorities to release him on humanitarian and diplomatic grounds.
