Three Nigerian pilgrims who were detained in Saudi Arabia on allegations of drug trafficking have been released, following intervention by the Nigerian government and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, confirmed the development during a press briefing on Wednesday, stating that the release followed high-level engagements between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.
“The three Nigerians who were freed from detention after four weeks in custody include Mrs Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, Mrs Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu, and Mr Abdulhamid Saddieq,” Babafemi said.
He added that the pilgrims were victims of a drug trafficking syndicate that tampered with their luggage without their knowledge during departure from Nigeria.
The three pilgrims had travelled through Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) on an Ethiopian Airlines flight headed to Jeddah via Addis Ababa on August 6, 2025.
Upon arrival, they were arrested by Saudi authorities after drugs were found in luggage tagged in their names.
Investigations later revealed that each pilgrim had only checked in one personal bag.
However, members of a criminal syndicate, in collaboration with staff of Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCOL), allegedly tagged an additional six bags, three of which contained narcotics, under the unsuspecting pilgrims’ names.
In response, the NDLEA arrested a suspected drug kingpin, Mohammed Abubakar, also known as Bello Karama, along with five alleged accomplices: Abdulbasit Adamu, Murtala Olalekan, Celestina Yayock, and Jazuli Kabir.
NDLEA said Karama travelled on a different flight (Egypt Air), while the drug-laden bags were checked in by his syndicate on Ethiopian Airlines.
Evidence, including financial transactions, linked the suspects to the smuggling operation.
NDLEA filed charges against the group and submitted its findings to Saudi authorities to prove the pilgrims’ innocence.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), held a series of meetings with officials of Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC), both in Nigeria and in Saudi Arabia, to advocate for the pilgrims’ release.
“Armed with the outcome of our investigation and evidence proving the pilgrims’ innocence, I personally engaged with my Saudi counterpart at different levels and locations,” Marwa said.
According to NDLEA, one of the detainees was released on September 14, while the other two were freed on September 15.
Marwa credited the success of the negotiations to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who he said prioritized the fair treatment of Nigerians abroad.
He also acknowledged support from Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN) and National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
NDLEA advised air passengers to personally verify all luggage tags before boarding, as a precaution against falling victim to similar schemes.
The incident has triggered renewed concerns about airport security, prompting authorities to tighten surveillance and baggage handling procedures at Kano Airport and other key departure points.
