Saudi Arabia detains Nigerian woman over alleged drug-related luggage mix-up

Saudi authorities have detained a Nigerian woman, Maryam Hussaini-Abdullahi, after a bag allegedly containing marijuana was wrongly tagged to her name by Ethiopian Airlines, her husband has told PREMIUM TIMES.

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Mrs Hussaini-Abdullahi, a 39-year-old mother of five from Kano State, had travelled with her husband, Abdullahi Baffa, on 6 August to perform the lesser Hajj. What was meant to be a spiritual journey turned into a nightmare after Saudi police linked her name to a suspicious “Ghana-must-go” sack at Jeddah airport.

Mr Baffa said the incident was the fault of Ethiopian Airlines, which mismatched his wife’s luggage with the suspicious bag without their knowledge.

“My wife is innocent. We travelled with only one bag each, which was properly tagged before departure from Kano. On arrival in Jeddah, our bags were missing. Later, the airline claimed they found one of them but wanted us to collect it in Jeddah. We refused and insisted they return it to Kano,” he explained.

The couple bought new clothes in Madinah after waiting for days with no update.

But their troubles deepened when they attempted to return home last Thursday. At the airport, Mr Baffa was cleared, but his wife was stopped. She was later taken to the Rihab Centre in Makkah, where Saudi police, in the presence of Nigerian consulate officials, accused her of being linked to a drug-laden bag.

According to Mr Baffa, the tag number on the sack did not match the tag issued to them in Kano. Despite this, Mrs Hussaini-Abdullahi was detained for questioning.

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“She cried when they showed her the sack. She had never seen it before. I believe Ethiopian Airlines and airport officials know what happened, but they are covering it up,” Mr Baffa alleged.

The husband has appealed to the Nigerian government to intervene and demanded that CCTV footage from Malam Aminu Kano International Airport be released to prove his wife’s innocence.

When contacted, an Ethiopian Airlines official confirmed an investigation was ongoing but stressed that the process “will take time because multiple stations are involved.”

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Nigeria’s Consul General in Jeddah, Muazam Nayaya, also confirmed the matter, saying, “We have commenced an investigation and will soon forward a report to headquarters.”

Mr Baffa told PREMIUM TIMES this evening that those responsible for the luggage swap had been caught and arrested after the investigation, and that the Nigerian government had taken over the case.

He commended Nigerian officials, especially the NDLEA, for their swift response but insisted his wife must be cleared and released immediately.