Two of the three Nigerian pilgrims earlier detained in Saudi Arabia over illicit drugs allegedly planted in their luggage have visited the headquarters of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to express appreciation for the agency’s intervention that secured their release.
The pilgrims, Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu and Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, met with the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Buba Marwa, in Abuja on Thursday, where they recounted their ordeal and thanked the agency for facilitating their freedom.
The trio—including Abdulhamid Saddieq—were arrested in August 2025 after illicit substances were discovered in luggage linked to them during their journey for the lesser hajj. Investigations later revealed that a drug trafficking syndicate operating at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport had allegedly tagged bags containing narcotics with the unsuspecting pilgrims’ names before their departure on an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Jeddah.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi had earlier confirmed that the three Nigerians were released after about four weeks in custody following sustained diplomatic engagements between Marwa and the leadership of Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Narcotics Control.
The agency announced their release in September 2025, noting that the intervention helped clarify that the pilgrims were victims of a trafficking syndicate rather than participants in drug smuggling activities.