Abike Dabiri-Erewa, senior
special assistant to the president on diaspora, says in the last three years,
Saudi Arabia has executed eight Nigerians for drug-related offences.
The latest of the executions was
carried out on Monday, involving a Nigerian woman.
Speaking with state house
correspondents on Tuesday, Dabiri-Erewa described the execution as tragic.
She said 20 other Nigerians were
on death row while some have been sentenced to various jail terms in the
country.
She disclosed that some airlines
had been working with drug syndicates to put drugs in the bags of unsuspecting
passengers.
She appealed to Nigerians to
abide by the laws of Saudi Arabia when travelling there.
“So we have had cases where truly
they didn’t commit the offence. We have appealed to the Saudi authorities to
make the trials fair, open and ensure that justice is done,” she said.
“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 Kolanut 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.
“It is pathetic, it is tragic but
we will continue to appeal to Nigerians to obey the laws of the land where you
are.
“However, we expect the trial to
be fair, open and ensure that justice truly is done because somebody is
sentenced to death.”
She also described as disgraceful
the involvement of five Nigerians in the robbing of a bureau de change of
different currency worth Dh2.3 million (N226,182,000) in Sharjah, United Arab
Emirates (UAE).
She listed their names as
Chimuanya Ozo, Benjamin Ajah, Kingsley Nwonka, Toochukwu Arise and Chile
Ndumodu.
“These five boys are a disgrace
to this country and an embarrassment. So if UAE decide to be hard on Nigerians
then we will complain that they are hard on us,” she said.
“But we will continue to say that
one bad apple should not spoil the whole bunch. Nigerians are hardworking,
intelligent so these few should not spoil the whole bunch because this has made
news all over the UAE now.
“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.”
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