NDLEA facilitates freedom for framed victims of drug traffickers in Saudi Arabia

Gang of traffickers operating at Aminu Inter’l Airport

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has facilitated the release in Saudi Arabian of three Nigerians allegedly framed by drug traffickers operating at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.

The three Nigerians who have been in detention for over a month in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia include Mrs. Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, Mrs. Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu, and Mr. Abdulhamid Saddieq.

NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said their release came after weeks of relentless efforts by NDLEA chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), with the leadership of the General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC) in Saudi Arabia, and the full support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The trio were trapped after the drug operating at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) in Kano had tagged their names to bags containing illicit drugs who travelled on an Ethiopian Airlines flight, ET940, which departed Kano on August 6, 2025, for a lesser hajj to Jeddah. They were later arrested in Saudi Arabia for alleged drug trafficking.

Investigation revealed that a 55-year-old drug kingpin, Mohammed Ali Abubakar, also known as Bello Karama, and three other members of the syndicate, including airline officials were behind scheme.

Based on the evidence and intervention by the government of President Tinubu, NDLEA engaged with its Saudi counterpart at multiple levels and different locations, including Saudi Arabia, one of the three Nigerians was released from custody on Sunday, September 14, and the remaining two on Monday, September 15, 2025.