Suliamon Olufemi, a Nigerian national from Badagry, Lagos, has spent over two decades on death row in Saudi Arabia under troubling circumstances that human rights groups describe as a grave miscarriage of justice.
Born on April 20, 1978, Olufemi travelled to Saudi Arabia in September 2002 on an Umrah visa. Days after his arrival, he followed fellow Nigerians who offered him accommodation to a car wash in Jeddah’s Bab Sharif area, where many African migrants worked. A confrontation later erupted when armed local men, including a police officer, stormed the area. The officer sustained injuries during the clash and later died.
Saudi authorities launched mass arrests the following day, with Olufemi among those detained. Amnesty International reports that during interrogation, he was tortured and coerced into placing his fingerprints on a statement written in Arabic—a language he neither read nor understood—allegedly confessing that he struck the officer with a gun.
In May 2005, Olufemi was sentenced to death following a closed trial conducted without legal counsel, consular assistance, or adequate interpretation services. His conviction, based on coerced testimony, has since drawn widespread condemnation.
Under Saudi Arabia’s application of qisas (retribution) law, the victim’s family holds the right to demand execution or pardon in exchange for diya (compensation). While diya was reportedly paid in July 2024 and others charged alongside Olufemi were subsequently released, he remains in detention.
Amnesty International has called on Saudi authorities to release Olufemi and urged the Nigerian government to intensify diplomatic efforts to secure his freedom. His prolonged incarceration, despite compliance with diya requirements, continues to inflict anguish on his family and has become a pressing human rights concern.
