Saudi Arabia executes 10 Nigerians and Ninety other foreigners this year

Report has it that over 10 Nigerians and more than 90 other foreigners were executed by the Saudi Arabia government in 2024.

On Saturday, November 16, another execution took place in the South western Region of Najran.

The victim was a Yemeni national convicted of smuggling drugs into the Gulf kingdom.

According to the tally compiled from state media reports, 101 foreigners were executed so far in 2024.

The report also noted that this is almost triple the figures for 2023 and 2022, when Saudi authorities had put to death, 34 foreigners each year.

Foreigners executed this year have included 21 from Pakistan, 20 from Yemen, 14 from Syria, 10 from Nigeria, nine from Egypt, 8 from Jordan, and seven from Ethiopia.

There were also three each from Sudan, India and Afghanistan, and one each from Sri Lanka, Eritrea and the Philippines.

Diplomats and activists say that foreign defendants usually face a higher barrier to fair trials, including the right to access court documents.

Not only are they often ‘victims of major drug dealers’ but also ‘subjected to a series of violations from the moment of their arrest until their execution.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig.-Gen Buba Marwa (rtd.) says the agency has secured 9,034 convictions in the last three years.

Marwa, who disclosed this in Lagos, added that the agency also arrested 52,901 traffickers and 52 barons within the period under review.

The NDLEA boss said that most of the culprits were high-profile personalities in the society.