Saudi Arabian authorities have released three Nigerian pilgrims who were held in Jeddah for the past month on suspicion of drug trafficking.
The individuals freed after spending four weeks in custody are Mrs. Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, Mrs. Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu, and Mr. Abdulhamid Saddieq.
At a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday, Femi Babafemi, the spokesperson for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), said their release came after weeks of relentless efforts by the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), with the leadership of the General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC) in Saudi Arabia, and the full support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
It would be recalled that a syndicate operating at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) in Kano had tagged bags containing illicit drugs with the names of the three unsuspecting Nigerians.
They traveled on an Ethiopian Airlines flight, ET940, which departed Kano on August 6, 2025, for a lesser hajj to Jeddah. They were later arrested in Saudi Arabia for alleged drug trafficking.
According to Babafemi, the families of the three victims complained to the NDLEA boss about their detention in Saudi Arabia, adding that investigation was launched to find out what happened.
He said the probe led to the arrest of a 55-year-old drug kingpin, Mohammed Ali Abubakar, also known as Bello Karama, and three other members of the syndicate, including airline officials.
They were allegedly behind the shipment of the illicit substances for which the three pilgrims were arrested and detained in Jeddah.
Armed with the results of the NDLEA’s investigation and charges filed against members of the syndicate, as well as other evidence to prove the innocence of the three Nigerian pilgrims, the NDLEA’s spokesman said Marwa engaged with his Saudi counterpart at multiple levels and different locations, including Saudi Arabia. This was done in compliance with President Tinubu’s agenda that no Nigerian should suffer unjustly in a foreign land.
Following these efforts, one of the three Nigerians was released from custody on Sunday, September 14, and the remaining two on Monday, September 15, 2025.
Babafemi said Marwa had commended his counterpart at the Saudi GDNC for upholding the essence of the Memorandum of Understanding between the NDLEA and GDNC on collaboration and partnership.
“The biggest support for our effort on this case came from President Tinubu, who is committed to ensuring that every Nigerian gets their deserved respect and fair treatment wherever they are across the world. And that is what has come to play in this case, that no Nigerian is unjustly punished for crimes they know nothing about anywhere in the world. We equally appreciate the assistance provided by the Hon. Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN; the Hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar; and the Hon. Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo SAN, as well as the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, who were with us all the way on the matter.”
