Again, Saudi Authorities Detain Kano Woman Over Alleged Illegal Drug Possession

Saudi Arabia authorities have arrested and detained a Kano woman, Maryam Hussaini-Abdullahi, after a bag containing Marijuana was allegedly mismatched with her luggage by Ethiopian Airlines.

Mrs Abdullahi had left Nigeria on August 6 alongside her husband, Abdullahi Baffa, to perform a lesser Hajj.

She was detained in Makkah after the police linked a strange “Ghana must go” sack to her name.

Speaking to Daily Nigerian, her husband accused the airline of adding the strange bag to his wife’s luggage without her consent.

Baffa said he alongside his wife had travelled with only one bag each, which were duly cleared before their departure from Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, adding that he was shocked that upon arrival in Jiddah, they could not find their luggage.

“Our flight was connected through Addis Ababa, and we arrived at Jiddah on 7th August. We scaled all the screening processes without any hassle.

“But when we arrived, our luggage was missing, and I reported it to the luggage claim desk.

“They gave us a complaint form to fill, and an acknowledged copy was returned to us. They also told us to expect feedback within 48 hours.

“But I protested, explaining to them that we had no spare clothes, but they insisted that was the procedure,” he said.

Baffa said they proceeded to Madinah and bought new clothes and other essentials, but after eight days he received a call that one of the bags was ready for collection in Jeddah, but he declined and requested it be sent back to Nigeria.

However, things took a dramatic turn when they returned to Madinah to catch their return flight to Nigeria on Thursday via the same airline.

He said, “It was at that point that I was informed that my wife has been restricted, and she can’t travel with me.

“When we arrived for departure, Ethiopian Airlines cleared my passport but said my wife had been blocked from travelling.

“When I enquired about the reason, the immigration officers referred us to the Rihab Centre in Makkah.

“And because Thursdays are not working days in the Kingdom, we couldn’t go. So I approached the Nigerian Consulate in Madinah and reported the incident.

“The head of the consulate made contacts to find out; he was briefed on the situation. He was very nice to us and even attached a staff member of the consulate to accompany us.

“So when we arrived at the investigation office in Makkah on Sunday, we were told in the presence of the consulate staff that my wife’s name was linked to a bag containing suspicious items.”

He said security operatives compared her luggage tags with the impounded bag but found no match, adding that “the bag was tagged with her name, and the police attached her pictures to the bag – but luckily the number on the bag was different from the one issued to us by the airline. But they insisted on detaining pending further investigations.”

“When I went to visit her in the cell, she told me the operatives showed her a Ghana-must-go sack containing wrapped items.

“But the items were totally strange to us. Because she had no connection whatsoever to the bag and its content. My wife is completely innocent,” Baffa said.

“I sent someone who has been in contact with the airline, and they have appealed to him not to escalate the matter.

“According to him, the airline told him that the contents of the bag were not incriminating and the issue will be resolved soon.

“But if that claim is true, why is my wife in detention, and why would they engage in such an unholy conduct? This is a pure act of criminality, and we will not take it lightly,” he added.

While appealing to the Nigerian government to urgently intervene and secure the release of his wife, Baffa also urged the management of the Aminu Kano International Airport to release video footage of their arrivals and departures from the airport.

When contacted, a source working for the Ethiopian Airline said an investigation has been launched on the matter.

“The issue will be investigated. But it cannot be instant because there are many stations involved,” he added.

Prodded further, the source said, “I don’t have any information except that they will trace and investigate, which is the normal procedure.”

Also, the Nigerian Consul General, in Jiddah, Muazam Nayaya, he said the incident has been reported to the consulate.

“With regard to the incident, we have received a report on this matter, and we have commenced an investigation and will soon send a report to Headquarters”, Mr Nayaya said.

Recall that in December 2018, Zainab Aliyu Kila, then a student of Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Kano, was detained in Saudi Arabia for alleged drug trafficking, following the discovery of illicit drugs in a bag bearing her name tag.

Investigations revealed that a criminal gang, in concert with airport officials, added the contentious bag to her name without her knowledge.

She was released in April 2019.