TheCable

At least 23 Nigerians are on the death row in Saudi Arabia for “drug-related offences”, The Nation is reporting.

Citing a document, the newspaper said the Nigerians were convicted for contravening the narcotic and psychotropic substances control law, which is punishable by death.

They were said to have been arrested between 2016 and 2017 at King Abdul-Aziz International Airport, Jeddah and Prince Muhammad bin Abdu- Aziz International Airport, Madinah having concealed the banned substances in their rectums.

The names of the convicted persons were given as

• Adeniyi Adebayo Zikri
• Tunde Ibrahim
• Jimoh Idhola Lawal
• Lolo Babatunde
• Sulaiman Tunde
• Idris Adewuumi Adepoju
• Abdul Raimi Awela Ajibola
• Yusuf Makeen Ajiboye
• Adam Idris Abubakar
• Saka Zakaria
• Biola Lawal.
• Isa Abubakar Adam
• Ibrahim Chiroma
• Hafis Amosu
• Aliu Muhammad
• Funmilayo Omoyemi Bishi
• Mistura Yekini
• Amina Ajoke Alobi
• Kuburat Ibrahim
• Alaja Olufunke Alalaoe Abdulqadir
• Fawsat Balagun Alabi
• Aisha Muhammad Amira
• Adebayo Zakariya.

This is coming a few weeks after the Saudi authorities executed Kudirat Afolabi for drug trafficking and Saheed Sobade, another Nigerian, reportedly nabbed with 1,183 grams of cocaine powder in Jeddah.

Defending the stance of the kingdom of drug trafficking, Adnan Mahmod Bostaji, Saudi ambassador to Nigeria, said sentences are only administered when there is evidence.

He insisted that the country’s legal system is transparent and fair. Bostaji said that about 1.5 million Nigerians live in the country and are engaged in legitimate businesses.

He said that they are not subjected to any form of molestation.