Detained Nigerian, Zainab Aliyu, released by Saudi authorities – Official

Zainab Aliyu with officials of the Nigerian Consulate in Jeddah, shortly after her release from prison. [Photo: MFA / @Naslawal]
Zainab Aliyu with officials of the Nigerian Consulate in Jeddah, shortly after her release from prison. [Photo: MFA / @Naslawal]

The federal government has secured the release of Zainab Aliyu, who was arrested in Saudi Arabia for alleged drug trafficking.

The Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on New Media, Bashir Ahmad, announced this on his Twitter page on Tuesday.

Mr Ahmad said the ministry of foreign affairs will brief Nigerians on the development.

On Monday, a presidential aide said President Buhari had directed Abubakar Malami, the Attorney General of the Federation, to intervene in the case of Ms Aliyu.

Ms Aliyu is a Nigerian student who was detained in Saudi Arabia after hard drugs were found in a bag labelled in her name at a Saudi airport.

The Nigerian government, through the drug-enforcement the agency, NDLEA, said Ms Aliyu was a victim of a drug cartel at the Aminu Kano airport in Kano.

The cartel reportedly specialises in placing hard drugs in bags owned by travellers while on their way to their destination countries.

Some members of the cartel have reportedly been arrested.

The Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora matters, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, had disclosed Mr Buhari’s directive in a statement made available to PREMIUM TIMES by her media aide, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, on Monday.

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