Saudi Arabian authorities have freed three Nigerian pilgrims who were detained in Jeddah last month over alleged drug trafficking.
The Director of Media and Advocacy of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Femi Babafemi, confirmed their release on Wednesday in Abuja.
The pilgrims—Mrs. Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, Mrs. Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu, and Mr. Abdulhamid Saddieq—regained their freedom after four weeks in custody.
According to Babafemi, their release followed weeks of engagements by NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), with Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC).
He noted that the intervention had the backing of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the support of top government officials, including the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
Investigations revealed that a syndicate at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport tagged bags containing illicit drugs with the names of the unsuspecting pilgrims, who departed Kano for Jeddah on August 6 aboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940.
The probe led to the arrest of 55-year-old suspected kingpin Mohammed Ali Abubakar, also known as Bello Karama, along with three others, including airline officials. They have since been charged in court.
Armed with the findings, Marwa secured the release of the pilgrims, with one freed on Sunday and the remaining two on Monday.
Babafemi praised Saudi authorities for upholding the spirit of cooperation between the two nations, while also commending President Tinubu for ensuring no Nigerian suffers unjustly abroad.