The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has given a detailed account of how a $570,000 for Diyya (blood money) was raised toward the possible release of Suleimon Olufemi, a Nigerian who has spent more than two decades on death row in Saudi Arabia.
In a statement yesterday, NiDCOM explained that the funds were mobilised through the combined efforts of Nigerians in the diaspora and stakeholders at home, including Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu.
The clarification followed an open letter written on Monday by Amnesty International to President Tinubu, urging urgent intervention in Olufemi’s case.
Amnesty described Olufemi’s arrest and trial as a “terrible ordeal,” citing alleged torture, lack of legal representation and a forced confession during a closed trial that culminated in a death sentence in 2005.
Olufemi was arrested on September 29, 2002, in Jeddah while on a lesser Hajj (Umra) pilgrimage, after a police officer was killed in an incident in the area.
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Amnesty acknowledged that an agreement was reached in 2020 for the payment of $570,000 in blood money once the victim’s youngest child turned 18, but noted that Olufemi remained detained at Al-Shumaisi prison despite the completion of payment on July 4, 2024.
However, NiDCOM said Amnesty’s letter “deliberately left out some facts” about years of diplomatic and fundraising efforts surrounding the case.
According to the commission, Olufemi travelled to Saudi Arabia for Umra and later went to visit a friend in Jeddah, where the fatal incident occurred. He was arrested among others found in the vicinity. While some suspects received prison sentences, Olufemi was sentenced to death.