Sanwo-Olu, Seyi Tinubu, Others Raised $570,000 For Saudi Death Row Inmate – NIDCOM

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 on Tuesday, 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.

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, in a statement signed by its Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, 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.

NIDCOM explained that once the deceased officer’s youngest child reached the age of 18, the family was legally entitled to decide whether to grant a pardon or insist on execution.

Following several diplomatic engagements and meetings involving NIDCOM officials, including its former Legal Director, Abdullahi Bello, the victim’s family insisted on a $570,000 blood money payment.

The commission said these negotiations began about three and a half years ago and accused Amnesty International of declining to collaborate in raising the funds at the time, despite earlier expressions of interest in the case.

NIDCOM said it worked closely with the Association of Nigerians in Saudi Arabia, led by the Yaro brothers, to mobilise the money. The funds were paid into a dedicated account created specifically for the purpose.

“Financial support came from Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Seyi Tinubu, who contributed about $150,000, while the remaining amount was raised through a GoFundMe campaign initiated by the Yaro brothers. This was during the tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari,” the statement said.

The commission added that with the full amount now paid, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerian Embassy in Saudi Arabia are engaging Saudi authorities to finalise Olufemi’s release.

NIDCOM expressed optimism that Olufemi would soon be pardoned, describing him as someone who appeared to have been “in the wrong place at the wrong time,” and maintained that the offence for which he was condemned could not be conclusively proven.

The commission also urged Amnesty International to ensure factual accuracy in its advocacy and to avoid what it described as self-serving narratives.
It disclosed that the NIDCOM Chairman has remained in contact with Olufemi’s family and had earlier received his elderly parents at the commission’s Lagos office on December 30, 2020.

“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 said.