[size=14pt]How Nigerian mother, son face persecution in Saudi – Col Umar[/size]
News
Feb 19, 2011




Col. Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (rtd) narrates the story of a Nigerian held illegally in Saudi Arabia after he travelled to the county with his mother on pilgrimage.

A Nigerian woman and her son on pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia are now languishing in jail there in what appears to be persecution by the Saudi authorities.

Hajiya Saratu Ahman, a widow, and her 22 year old son, Abdullahi Suleiman Sarah, are not allowed to depart home even after a court had discharged and acquitted Abdullahi after establishing that he was wrongly arrested and charged in the first place.

Their plight was brought to public attention yesterday by one-time military governor of Kaduna State, Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (rtd), who in a statement gave a blow-by-blow account of their ordeal.

His statement entitled: “Persecution of a Nigerian by the authorities of Saudi Arabia”: Our attention has been drawn to a very bizarre story of an innocent Nigerian, 22-year-old Abdullahi Suleiman Ahman, who is being held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia against his will. His plight defies all logic and his ordeal is without a parallel in its cruelty, impunity and discrimination. It behoves the Nigerian government and all people of goodwill everywhere to act quickly to secure his immediate release.

Facts available to us indicate that the mother of Abdullahi Suleiman Ahman, Saratu Ahman, a devout Muslim widow, decided to reward him with a pilgrimage to Mecca following his successful graduation in June 2010 from the Igbinedion University, Okada, Nigeria. On 7 September, 2010, they both left Nigeria for Mecca. Upon their arrival at the Jeddah International Airport, like everyone else, they joined the queue for the required immigration documentation. Unlike everyone else, however, at that point, their journey took an unexpected, frightening course.

As soon as the immigration officer finished reviewing Abdullahi’s travel documents, we were told, he asked him to step aside while he got busy making phone calls. A few minutes later, some Saudi Arabian policemen arrived at the counter. The immigration official pointed at Abdullahi who was immediately handcuffed and led away – to the utter shock and bewilderment of his mother. Her attempt to follow them was rebuffed. She turned to the immigration officer and sought to know why her son was arrested and to where he was being taken.

The only explanation grudgingly offered by the officer got her even more bewildered that the boy “duped” a Saudi prince in an airline business contract signed way back in 2007; at which time Abdullahi was just a 19-year-old undergraduate and most unlikely to have been involved in any such business. Besides, there was no evidence that he visited Saudi Arabia in 2007.

Her attempts to prove to the immigration officer that her son was a victim of mistaken identity were ignored. Instead, she was shouted down and ordered to leave. Aware of the limited rights she had as a woman and a Nigerian to engage Saudi officials, Saratu obeyed the order and left; sobbing.

Twenty-four hours later, at the police station, Saratu found her son totally disoriented and frightened. This was indeed to be expected given the public perception of the boy as an obedient, shy and diligent young man who would always be counted upon to stay out of trouble. Still, beyond what she was told by the immigration officer at the airport, no further explanation or information was offered. And, as it turned out, Abdullahi’s arraignment in court was not done until nine clear days. The reason was that the Saudi prince who lodged the complaint failed to show up in court.

Eventually, he was charged with breaching an airline business contract entered into between him and the representative of a Saudi prince some three years ago. After the charge was read, the defense counsel drew the attention of the court to several discrepancies in the document, including names, nationalities, addresses, etc., between the real owner of the defendant company and the person being prosecuted. The lawyer tendered a copy of the contract document under reference

The terms and conditions of the contract indicated that it was signed on 3 November, 2007 between one Mr. Fahd bin Siliman bin Hassan Ashar, a Saudi national representing a company owned by a Saudi Arabian prince, HRH, Turki bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Assaud and Mr. Abdoulaye Diori Hamani, owner of an Air Niamey carrier and a citizen of Niger Republic. The Air Niamey carrier agreed to pay a commission of USD 100 per passenger to the Saudi company for its services. The Niamey carrier also agreed to pay USD 3 million (three million dollars) as penalty if it failed to implement the agreement.

The prosecutor agreed with the submissions of the defense counsel whereupon the judge asked the signatory to the contract, Fahd bin Siliman bin Ashar, to identify and confirm the person charged as the true culprit. He responded by saying he could not; adding that he never really met the owner of Niamey Air. After several other failed attempts to confirm the identity of the alleged offender, the complainants finally confessed that Abdullahi Ahman was indeed not the same person as Abdoulaye Diori Hamani with whom they entered into a contract that was now in breach. That being the case, the court discharged and acquitted Abdullahi Ahman and ordered his travel documents be released to him. The judge also ordered that the travel ban order on him be lifted immediately.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/02/how-nigerian-mother-son-face-persecution-in-saudi-col-umar/

since he had been discharged and aquinted,wetin be d problem again?

I'am a witness, i know saratu and her son Abdullahi, i even know the hotel where they are leaving, its located at palestine street just opposite to Nigeria consulate junction, approximately Saratu had spent over $10,000 as leaving cost in Saudi Arabia since the arrest of Abdullahi during ramadan. The Nigeria consulate are dump and useless here in saudi Arabia we don't have true repesentitive. The Federal government should look into this matter ardently. There are more than 1000 Nigeria incarcerated by Saudi authorities without proper conviction.
I personally complaint to the present consel general Sani Musa Saulawa from katsina state and former wellfare officer Mr, Abiglabo, that alot of Nigerians are imprison without proper conviction but nothing has been done, I was opportune to meet with the then special adviser a to the President Olusegun obasanjo (Senator sani Uba) on the issue but it didnt yield anything. My people says "If you see a mad man working on the street he has a mother" If those people are criminals whatever way they are Nigerians, fair trial must be giving to them. There are Nigerians committed minor offence but they are in the prison more than 5yrs at the watch of Nigeria embassy, Our leadrers dont like us inside Nigeria and outside, most of those people are victims of circumstances. We have to stand up and say no to inept leaders who lacks jingois.
About Sarah's issue, is quite unfurtune uptill now nothing has been done, thou Abdullahi has been released for almost two months now but they are under house arrest.