The federal government on Tuesday secured the release of a Nigerian student, Zainab Ibrahim, who was detained in Saudi Arabia for alleged drug trafficking.
The personal assistant to the president on new media, Mr. Bashir Ahmad, who announced this via his verified twitter handle @BashirAhmaad, wrote: The Federal Government has secured the release of Zainab Habibu Aliyu who was arrested in Saudi Arabia for alleged drug trafficking. Details soon from ministry of foreign affairs. #FreeZainab
— Bashir Ahmad (@BashirAhmaad) April 30, 2019
The release was sequel to a directive by President Muhammadu Buhari to the attorney general of the federation and minister of justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami to ensure the release of Zainab and another Nigerian, Ibrahim Abubakar, upon discovery that they were innocent of the offences for which they were detained by the Saudi authorities.
Briefing the media later in Abuja, the permanent secretary in the ministry of foreign affairs, Mr. Mustapha Suleiman, said but for the late time Nigerian officials in Saudi Arabia arrived at the detention centre where Abubakar was held, he would have been released today.
“Due to the intervention of the federal government of Nigeria, through the ministry of foreign affairs, Zainab Ibrahim has been released but the second person, Ibrahim Abubakar, was not released because before the Authorities’ got to his detention centre, it was time for close of work in Saudi Arabia,” she said.
He added that the authorities in Saudi agreed to release the two Nigerians following the arrest of a six-man cartel at the Mallam Aminu Kano Airport, Kano that specialises in planting drugs in the luggage of unsuspecting passengers.
He said the Saudi authorities were convinced when they received the record of activities of the cartel members transmitted to them by the Nigerian government.
Zainab, a student of Maitama Sule University, Kano, was arrested after a banned drug, Tramadol, was found in her bag. She claimed it was planted in her luggage by unknown persons.
The student had travelled from Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in company of her mother, Mrs. Maryam Aliyu, and sister, Hajara Aliyu, but she was arrested on allegations that a bag bearing her name tag contained the unlawful substance.
Zainab, who was accused of entering Saudi Arabia with the banned drug, was later discovered to have been a victim of a cartel that specialises in keeping hard drugs in travellers’ bags.
Some of the cartel members are already in the custody of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
