Saudi Arabia Frees 3 Nigerians Wrongly Detained for Drug Trafficking

Saudi authorities have released three Nigerian pilgrims who were detained in Jeddah last month over alleged drug trafficking.

The freed pilgrims are Mrs. Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, Mrs. Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu, and Mr. Abdulhamid Saddieq. They regained their freedom after four weeks in custody, following high-level interventions by Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the federal government.

NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), led the engagement with Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC), with the backing of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The efforts also received support from the Attorney General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN); Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar; Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN); and National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.

Investigations revealed that a drug syndicate operating out of Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, had tagged bags containing illicit substances with the names of the three unsuspecting pilgrims, who departed on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940 on August 6, 2025, for lesser hajj in Jeddah.

The probe led to the arrest of 55-year-old drug kingpin Mohammed Ali Abubakar, also known as Bello Karama, along with three accomplices, including airline officials. They now face charges in Nigeria.

One of the pilgrims was released on September 14, while the remaining two were freed the following day.

Speaking on the development, Marwa commended his Saudi counterpart for upholding the spirit of the Memorandum of Understanding between NDLEA and GDNC, stressing that the case reflects President Tinubu’s commitment to ensuring no Nigerian is unjustly punished abroad.