THE Saudi Arabian authorities have released three Nigerian pilgrims arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking following fresh evidence that linked their ordeal to a criminal syndicate operating at Kano Airport.
The pilgrims who were freed after weeks in Saudi detention are Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu, and Abdulhamid Saddiq.
They were taken into custody in Jeddah in August after Saudi security agents found illicit substances tagged to their travel details. Their arrest came shortly after completing the lesser hajj.
For nearly four weeks, they languished in detention, facing the grim prospect of harsh Saudi penalties for drug trafficking, until Nigerian authorities intervened.
The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mohamed Buba Marwa, spearheaded diplomatic engagements with his Saudi counterparts, armed with fresh evidence from NDLEA’s investigations in Nigeria.
His efforts, supported by President Bola Tinubu and a coalition of top government officials, including the Attorney General of the Federation, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Aviation, and the National Security Adviser, eventually led to their release this week.
While one of the pilgrims was freed on Sunday, September 14, the remaining two walked out of Saudi custody the following day, ending a month-long nightmare.
Marwa hailed the outcome as a “victory against injustice,” crediting Tinubu’s backing and Saudi cooperation under an existing bilateral drug control agreement. He stressed that the NDLEA would continue to ensure Nigerians are not unfairly punished for crimes they did not commit.
According to the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a statement released on Wednesday, September 17, behind the pilgrims’ ordeal was a sophisticated cartel at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), which had perfected a scheme of planting narcotics on unsuspecting travellers.
He said NDLEA operatives, responding to complaints from the victims’ families, launched a probe that exposed the network.
The NDLEA investigation led to the arrest of 55-year-old alleged drug baron Mohammed Ali Abubakar, popularly known as Bello Karama, an airline staff member, and accomplices accused of checking in multiple bags under the pilgrims’ names.
Court charges have since been filed against Abubakar and three others: Celestina Emmanuel Yayock, Abdulbasit Adamu Sagagi, and Jazuli Kabir.
In August, The ICIR reported how NDLEA’s investigation unravelled the Kano-based syndicate behind the botched operation that nearly cost three Nigerians their freedom in Saudi Arabia.
According to NDLEA, the cartel exploited airport loopholes to tag illicit drug-laden luggage to innocent passengers. One of the victims, Abdullahi, checked in only a single nine-kilogramme bag that did not arrive with her in Jeddah. Yet she was arrested when Saudi authorities linked her to additional bags that later turned up with narcotics.
The NDLEA traced the operation to Karama, who allegedly checked in seven bags on Ethiopian Airlines under the pilgrims’ identities while he boarded an Egypt Air flight to Jeddah.
With at least six suspects in custody and four already charged, NDLEA insists the case highlights the vulnerability of Nigerian air travellers to organised airport syndicates.
The agency says new security checks were being introduced at the Kano Airport to prevent a repeat of the scandal.
A reporter with the ICIR
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