By Muhammad Mamman
The Saudi Arabian authorities have released three Nigerian pilgrims earlier detained in Jeddah over alleged drug trafficking, following weeks of high-level diplomatic and security interventions.
Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier-General Buba Marwa (rtd), disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, represented by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi.
The freed pilgrims – Mrs Maryam Abdullahi, Mrs Bahijja Abdullahi and Mr Abdulhamid Saddieq – were detained for four weeks before being exonerated and released. Their freedom, Marwa said, followed sustained engagement with Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC), fully supported by President Bola Tinubu and key government officials.
He revealed that NDLEA investigations uncovered a drug syndicate at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) which had tagged narcotics-laden luggage with the names of unsuspecting pilgrims travelling on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940 from Kano to Jeddah on 6th August 2025.
The agency subsequently arrested the suspected mastermind, 55-year-old Mohammed Ali Abubakar, also known as Bello Karama, along with three airline officials – Celestina Yayock, Abdulbasit Sagagi, and Jazuli Kabir. Charges have since been filed against them in Nigeria.
Armed with this evidence, Nigerian authorities engaged their Saudi counterparts, resulting in the phased release of the pilgrims – the first on 14th September and the remaining two on 15th September.
Marwa commended Saudi authorities for honouring the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the two countries, while praising the support of President Tinubu, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Aviation, and the National Security Adviser.
“This outcome demonstrates that no Nigerian will be unjustly punished for crimes they did not commit, anywhere in the world,” he said.
