By Uche Amunike
Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), has appealed to the Saudi Arabia authorities to release Suleiman Olufemi, a Nigerian, who has been on death row in prison, where he has been held for over 20 years for allegedly being involved in the killing of a police officer.
Suleiman Olufemi was arrested on September 29, 2002 in Jeddah, during a lesser Hajj pilgrimage where an incident occurred where the police officer was killed. He had gone to visit a friend at the time the tragedy occurred and was arrested among those in the vicinity for murder. However, while some of the arrested people got prison sentences, Suleiman got a death sentence.
Presently, the official age of the policeman’s child is above 18 years, which means the family could decide to pardon Suleiman or hold on to the death sentence.
About three and a half years ago, a series of diplomatic interventions, as well as several meetings with the family and NIDCOM’s former legal director, Abdullah Bello, was held , where they insisted Suleiman Olufemi must pay blood money to the tune of $570,000.
NIDCOM, in collaboration with the Association of Nigerians in Saudi Arabia, and championed by the Yaro brothers, were able to raise the $570,000 and have since paid it into an account opened particularly for this purpose.
This was done with the financial support from the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Seyi Tinubu, who contributed about $150,000 while the rest of the money was raised through GoFundMe, initiated by the Yaro brothers, under President Buhari’s administration.
After the money was paid, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Nigerian Embassy in Saudi Arabia have continued to engage the Saudi authorities to release Suleiman Olufemi, especially as the blood money has completely been paid.
Speaking, through a press release, signed by the NIDCOM Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols in Abuja, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, he stated that an open letter was published in some Nigerian newspapers by Amnesty International and addressed to President Bola Tinubu, demanding for intervention in Suleiman Olufemi’s case.
He expressed dissatisfaction at the submissions made by Amnesty International, stating that it deliberately left out some facts.
The statement partly read: ‘It has come to the notice of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) an open letter published in some Nigerian newspapers by Amnesty International and addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene in the case of Suleimon Olufemi who has been on death row in Saudi Arabia for more than 20 years. Though on the surface, Amnesty International purports to be fighting for his release, it deliberately left out some facts.’
NIDCOM Called an Amnesty International to ensure factual reporting and avoid self-serving narratives in the case.
They have also appealed to the Saudi authorities to release Olufemi from prison, especially as the imposed blood money has been fully paid.
It stated: ‘The NIDCOM Chairman, The Honorable Dr. Abike Dabiri-Erewa has been in touch with the Suleimon Olufemi family, having received the aged parents on December 30, 2020, at NIDCOM office in Lagos.
‘We appeal to the Saudi authorities to release Suleimon Olufemi from prison, having paid the imposed blood money, in the spirit of fairness, justice, and the cordial diplomatic relationship between Nigeria and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.’
NIDCOM expressed optimism that Olufemi could still be pardoned, as he is being punished for ‘an offence that really cannot be proven that he committed’, maintaining that ‘he was apparently in the wrong place at the wrong time’.
