Global human rights body, the Amnesty International has highlighted the case of Suliamon Olufemi, a Nigerian national who has been on death row in Saudi Arabia for over two decades.
The global body demanded his release in a statement on Friday, September 26, 2025.
“Suliamon Olufemi, a Nigerian national from Badagry Lagos, was born on 20 April 1978. He travelled to Saudi Arabia on an Umrah visa in September 2002. On arrival at the airport in Jeddah, Suliamon called his friend who he was scheduled to stay with in Jeddah.”
According to the rights group, his troubles began just days after his arrival in the Middle Eastern country.
“On 28 September 2002, some days after Suliamon arrived in Saudi Arabia, he followed the Nigerians that offered him accommodation to a car wash in the Bab Sharif area of Jeddah, where many African nationals worked as car cleaners.”
Events quickly turned tragic when a confrontation broke out involving Saudi locals and foreign workers.
“On the day, a group of local men with guns, among them a police officer, raided the location and a dispute broke out between the local men and the foreign nationals which resulted in the police officer getting injured, he later died.”
“The following day, 29 September 2002, mass arrests were carried out of foreign nationals by the Saudi authorities, including Suliamon Olufemi. He was put on trial for the incident and the death of the police officer.”
Amnesty International said Suliamon was subjected to torture during interrogation and forced to sign a statement he could not even understand.
“Amnesty International received reports that Suliamon was tortured during interrogation in order to force him to sign statements written in Arabic, a language that he could neither read nor understand. Under duress he was said to have put his fingerprints, which can be taken as a substitute for a signature, to a statement written in Arabic. He later learnt in court that he had “signed” a statement that said that he had hit the police officer over the head with a gun.”
He was later sentenced to death in what Amnesty described as an unfair trial.
“Suliamon Olufemi was sentenced to death in May 2005 following a closed trial which took place in the absence of legal or consular representation or adequate interpretation and translation facilities.”
Under Saudi Arabia’s legal system, the family of the deceased had the final say on whether he should be executed or pardoned.
“According to Shari’a law in Saudi Arabia, if a crime is punished under the rule of qisas (retribution), as in Suliamon Olufemi’s case, relatives of the murder victim have the right to decide if the offender should be executed or pardoned, in which case the death penalty is dropped, sometimes in return for diya (compensation or “blood money”) Family of the deceased police officer demanded payment of diya.”
Amnesty confirmed that diya was paid in 2024, but while others were freed, Suliamon remains behind bars.
“Diya was paid for Suliamon Olufemi over a year ago in July 2024. Others prosecuted together with Suliamon were released after payment of diya. But Suliamon is still in detention.”
The organisation has therefore called on both Saudi Arabia and Nigeria to act immediately.
“Amnesty International urges the government of Saudi Arabia to release Suliamon. The Nigerian authorities must intervene to end the anguish of Suliamon and his family.”
