This is despite reports that the conditions for commuting his sentence have been met.
Global human rights body, Amnesty International, has urged President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene in the case of Sulaimon Olufemi, a Nigerian national who has spent more than 20 years on death row in Saudi Arabia.
This is despite reports that the conditions for commuting his sentence have been met.
In an open letter to the President, Amnesty International described Olufemi’s continued detention as an “unconscionable injustice” and called for intensified 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.”
Olufemi, now 47, was arrested on 29 September 2002 in Jeddah following the killing of a Saudi police officer during a dispute.
He was detained as part of a mass roundup of foreign nationals conducted a day after the incident.
In May 2005, he was sentenced to death after what Amnesty International says was a closed trial that failed to meet international fair trial standards.
“Throughout his arrest, detention, and trial, Sulaimon Olufemi was denied access to a lawyer, consular support, and adequate interpretation,” Amnesty stated.
“He and others arrested with him reported being tortured and forced to thumbprint statements written in Arabic—a language they could not read—which were later treated as confessions in court.”
While most of those arrested alongside Olufemi received short prison terms and were deported, twelve Nigerian nationals were sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment and 1,000 lashes.
One of them reportedly died in custody due to lack of medical care. The remaining eleven were deported to Nigeria in 2017 after serving their sentences.
A significant development in Olufemi’s case reportedly occurred around 2020, when the youngest child of the deceased officer reached adulthood. According to Amnesty International, the victim’s family then agreed to accept diyya (blood money) instead of the death penalty, as permitted under Sharia law.
“The family of the deceased agreed to accept compensation in lieu of execution, and the full amount of SAR 2 million was reportedly paid on 4 July 2024,” Sanusi said. “Yet, more than a year later, Sulaimon remains on death row, with no explanation given to his family.”
Despite the reported payment, Olufemi remains detained at Al-Shumaisi prison in Jeddah. He has no legal representation, and his family has received no official communication regarding the status of his case or when his death sentence may be formally overturned.
“This ongoing uncertainty is itself a form of cruel and inhuman treatment,” Amnesty International said. “After more than 20 years on death row, Sulaimon Olufemi and his family deserve relief from their suffering.”
Amnesty International has called on Saudi Arabian authorities to immediately revoke the death sentence and finalize the legal process. The organization also urged the Nigerian government to step up diplomatic pressure to ensure Olufemi’s rights are upheld.