Nigerian Pilgrims Freed in Saudi Arabia After NDLEA Intervention
Three Nigerian pilgrims, including two women and a man, have been freed from detention in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. They were arrested last month on allegations of drug trafficking. Their release came after four weeks of intense efforts by the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), with strong backing from Nigerian officials.
The pilgrims, identified as Mrs. Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, Mrs. Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu, and Mr. Abdulhamid Saddieq, were victims of a drug syndicate operating at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano. The criminals tagged their luggage with bags containing illicit drugs. An investigation by the NDLEA led to the arrest of the alleged kingpin, Mohammed Ali Abubakar, and three others, including airline staff, who were all charged in court.
Armed with evidence proving the pilgrims’ innocence, Gen. Marwa engaged directly with his Saudi counterpart. This move was made to clear the names of the innocent Nigerians and uphold President Bola Tinubu’s commitment that no Nigerian should suffer unjustly abroad. These discussions were crucial and led to the release of one pilgrim on Sunday and the remaining two on Monday.
Gen. Marwa expressed his satisfaction and thanked his Saudi counterpart for their cooperation. He attributed the success of the mission to the support of President Tinubu and key ministers, including the Attorney General of the Federation, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Aviation, and the National Security Adviser. This coordinated effort was instrumental in securing the freedom of the three pilgrims.
