Saudi Arabia Executes Eight Nigerians Over Drug Related Offences

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa on Tuesday, said at least eight Nigerians have so far been executed in Saudi Arabia over drugs-related offences.

Dabiri-Erewa told State House correspondents , while reacting to the execution of a Nigerian woman in Saudi Arabia over drug trafficking.

Recall that a Nigerian woman and three others including two Pakistani men, a Yemeni man, were executed by the Saudi Arabian government after they were convicted of drug trafficking on Monday.

She said with the execution of the woman, the Saudi Arabian government had executed eight Nigerians in three years.

While lamenting the execution of the Nigerians, She said 20 others are on death row over drug-related offences in the country.

According to her,“We have appealed to the Saudi Authorities to make the trials fair, open and ensure that justice is done. Even if you are going to die, you will know that you die for an offence you committed.

“So, while we appeal to Nigerians going to Saudi Arabia, we know it is tough, obey the laws of the land. Even kola nut is treated as a drug. So, we will continue to appeal to the Saudi Authorities to treat some of the cases with some form of leniency.

“Like I said, we have 20 of them in Saudi, this is the eighth to be executed and we are hopeful that maybe we will be able to save the others.

“So, it is pathetic, it is tragic but we will continue to appeal to Nigerians to obey the laws of the land where they are.

“However, we expect the trial to be fair, open and ensure that justice truly is done,” she said.

Dabiri-Erewa gave the names of the Dubai robbers as Chimuanya Emmanuel Ozo, Benjamin Nwachukwu Ajah, Kingsley Ikenna Nwonka, Toochukwu Leonard Arise, and Chile Micah Ndumodu.

“We are going to continue to name those who disgrace the country anywhere in the world and we will continue to appeal to Nigerians to be good ambassadors wherever they find themselves,” she said.

“These five boys are a disgrace to this country and an embarrassment. So, if UAE decides to be hard on Nigerians then we will complain that they are hard on us.

Speaking further, she added by saying ” But we will continue to say that one bad apple should not spoil the whole bunch.

Urging Nigerians to always be good ambassadors of their country, she said the five Nigerians involved in an armed robbery case in Dubai have disgrace Nigeria.

“Nigerians are hardworking, intelligent so these few should not spoil the whole bunch because this has made news all over the UAE now.