By our reporter 17.9.2025
Three Nigerians allegedly framed by drug traffickers operating at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport have been freed to go home by Saudi Arabian authorities.
The three Nigerians who have been in detention for over a month in Jeddah include Mrs. Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, Mrs. Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu, and Mr. Abdulhamid Saddieq.
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency 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 traveled 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.
The Drug gang at Kano Airport busted by the NDLEA.