Two of the three pilgrims, Alhaja Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu and Alhaja Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, who rescued from Saudi Arabia following their detention for possession of illicit drugs, on Thursday, visited the headquarters of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The pilgrims who detained over illicit drugs smuggled into their luggage by a drug syndicate in Nigeria but later released by the Saudi authorities following multi-stakeholders efforts coordinated by NDLEA were at the headquarters to thank the NDLEA and its chairman/chief executive officer Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd).
The three pilgrims were arrested in August, 2025 when their luggage were found to have contained Illicit drugs smuggled into it by the syndicate.
The NDLEA had announced in September 2025 that the Saudi Arabian authorities had released three Nigerian pilgrims.
The director of Media and Advocacy of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Femi Babafemi had said the three Nigerians freed after four weeks in custody are Mrs Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, Mrs Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu and Mr Abdulhamid Saddieq.
According to him, “Their release followed weeks of sustained engagements by the Marwa, with the leadership of the General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC) in Saudi Arabia.”
Babafemi explained that a syndicate operating at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport had tagged bags containing illicit drugs with the names of the three unsuspecting Nigerians, who travelled on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940, which departed Kano on 6 August 2025 to Jeddah for the lesser hajj. The pilgrims were subsequently arrested in Saudi Arabia over alleged drug trafficking.
He also noted that following complaints by the families of the detainees, Marwa ordered an investigation into the matter.
He said, “The probe led to the arrest of 55-year-old drug kingpin, Mohammed Ali Abubakar, also known as Bello Karama, and three other members of the syndicate, including airline officials behind the shipment of the illicit substances for which the three innocent pilgrims were detained in Jeddah.
“Charges have since been filed against Abubakar and other members of the syndicate: Celestina Emmanuel Yayock, Abdulbasit Adamu Sagagi, and Jazuli Kabir.”