Drug trafficking: NDLEA arrests 5 over detention of Kano woman in Saudi Arabia
The Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested five persons in connection with a bag containing marijuana over which a woman was being detained in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The woman, identified as Maryam Hussaini-Abdullahi, was linked with a ‘Ghana Must Go’ bag filled with marijuana when she was travelling to Saudi Arabia […]
ndlea 1 1 1 860×491 (1)
The Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested five persons in connection with a bag containing marijuana over which a woman was being detained in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The woman, identified as Maryam Hussaini-Abdullahi, was linked with a ‘Ghana Must Go’ bag filled with marijuana when she was travelling to Saudi Arabia with her husband to perform lesser Hajj (Umrah) aboard an Ethiopian Airlines.
Her husband, Abdullahi Baffa, in an interview, cried out over the fate that befell his family, saying the August 7 trip, which should have lasted a few days as they left their children at home, took a dramatic turn.
Baffa accused Ethiopian Airlines of criminal negligence, saying the suspicious bag was attached to his wife’s luggage without her knowledge or consent.
He said it was when they returned to Madinah that things took a dramatic turn as he was told that his wife had been restricted because of a bag containing some suspicious items.
However, when contacted on the issue, the spokesman of the NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi, confirmed that five people, including the owner of the bag, had been arrested in connection with the incident.
He said the four people arrested were those working within the airport vicinity, while the owner of the bag was an outsider.
Babafemi added that the agency had immediately informed the Saudi Arabian anti-narcotics agency of the development and the fact that Mrs Baffa was innocent, assuring that she would soon be released.
He said, “We are aware of the case and we have arrested the culprits involved in the matter. We have arrested the owner of the bag. We arrested him yesterday. They will be charged in court.”
Weekend Trust reports that a similar incident happened in 2019 when a Nigerian student, Zainab Habib Aliyu, an indigene of Kano, was detained over alleged trafficking. She was also framed up at the time and was detained for over four months. She was later found to be innocent.