Suleimon Olufemi, a Nigerian national, has been on death row in Saudi Arabia since 2005 after being arrested in 2002 for a crime he allegedly didn’t commit.
Arrested in 2002 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, while visiting a friend during a lesser Hajj (Umrah) visa, Olufemi was sentenced to death in 2005 after a police officer was killed in an incident where he was present. He has since been in prison in Saudi Arabia.
In a statement issued on December 29, 2025, and signed by the Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, NiDCOM said the appeal was made in the spirit of fairness, justice and the strong diplomatic relations between Nigeria and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
.”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 cordial diplomatic relationship between Nigeria and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” said Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols, NIDCOM.
The required blood money, $570,000, was raised by NIDCOM, the Association of Nigerians in Saudi Arabia, and generous Nigerians, including Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Seyi Tinubu, who contributed $150,000. With the payment made, Olufemi’s release hinges on the victim’s family decision.
“Suleimon Olufemi was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Balogun noted, emphasizing Olufemi’s claim of innocence.
As diplomatic efforts continue, led by Foreign Affairs Minister Amb. Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, Nigerians remain hopeful for Olufemi’s pardon.
