The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has fixed a date and time to begin the execution of 23 Nigerians sentenced to death for drug trafficking. The Saudis have refused to make the data public, but according to The Nation, the beheading will take place “any time from now.”
Daily Advent also learnt that public beheadings take place at about 9 am in Saudi Arabia.
The Nigerian government has also been blamed for the execution of Nigerians in Saudi Arabia, because of its late response to issues concerning its citizens.
Saudi Arabia usually carries out the beheadings at Deera Square in central Riyadh, the capital city.
Another Nigerian, Wahid Somade, was arrested last Thursday at Jeddah Airport, in Saudi Arabia, for allegedly smuggling about 1,138g of cocaine, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Diaspora, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa said on Friday.
According to The Nation, the 23 death row inmates could not be named for “diplomatic and sensitivity” reasons. But the names of Nigerians, both male and female, in prison in Saudi Arabia have been released.
Two are serving 20 years imprisonment while one is serving 15 years in jail.
They are:
Halimat Oyebanjo Oyaya 10 yrs
Sherifat Shawni 4 yrs
Limata Ahmad 10yrs
Halimat Isah 5yrs
Olubunmi Adejarani Olaniyan 10yrs
Omobolanle Funke 15yrs
Nuratu Bolanle Yusuf 15yrs
Maryam Ibrahim Tanko 7yrs
Rahma Abdulkarim 20yrs
Nuratu Yusuf Abike 20yrs
Bolaji Kehinde 10yrs
Yasirat Abolanle Salau – awaiting trial
Interestingly, the prisoners are all from the Southwest of Nigeria, specifically, of the Yoruba ethnic group.
Dabiri-Erewa was heavily criticised last week for releasing the names of five South Easterners, specifically Igbo men, arrested for alleged robbery in Dubai, UAE.
The presidential aide, in a statement, gave the names of the suspects as “Chimuanya Emmanuel Ozoh, Benjamin Nwachukwu Ajah, Kingsley Ikenna Ngoka, Tochukwu Leonard Alisi, Chile Micah Ndunagu.”
Her critics said she released the names, with the intention of “stereotyping an ethnic group,” an allegation that she denied.
Two weeks ago, a Nigerian woman, Kudirat Adeshola Afolabi, was beheaded in Saudi Arabia.
It has been suggested that the Nigerian government contributed to Afolabi’s death because of the “late” response of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to a memo from the Nigerian Consul-General in Saudi Arabia, Amb. M. S. Yunusa.
It was learnt that the ministry had been “diplomatically slow” in responding to issues connected with Nigerians.
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