A Nigerian man, identified as Idris Ibrahim, has been executed in Saudi Arabia after being convicted of smuggling cocaine into the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior said Ibrahim was put to death in the Madinah region on Monday, August 24, 2026, following the conclusion of his judicial process.
According to the ministry, Ibrahim was arrested over his involvement in drug smuggling and was subsequently investigated and formally charged before a competent court.
The court found him guilty and handed him a death sentence under Saudi Arabia’s discretionary punishment system.
His conviction was later upheld by an appeals court and the Supreme Court, after which a royal order was issued for the sentence to be carried out.
The execution was subsequently conducted in Madinah, the ministry said.
The case highlights the severe consequences faced by people convicted of drug trafficking in Saudi Arabia, where authorities maintain a hard-line approach to narcotics offences.
The Kingdom has continued to issue stiff punishments for drug smugglers and dealers, with its Interior Ministry repeatedly warning that anyone involved in the trafficking of narcotics would face severe legal consequences.
The latest execution also comes amid continued drug-control operations across the region. On the same day Ibrahim was executed, Saudi authorities reported separate operations in Asir and Jazan in which border patrols seized hundreds of kilogrammes of drugs and tens of thousands of tablets.
Saudi authorities said the punishment was carried out in accordance with the Kingdom’s legal and Islamic framework and reiterated their determination to protect society from the dangers of narcotics.
Ibrahim’s execution adds to a long history of Nigerians facing serious legal consequences in Saudi Arabia over drug-related offences.
In previous years, Nigerian nationals have also been reported among foreigners sentenced to death for narcotics offences in the Kingdom.
