Nigeria Mission in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday said that the detained Zainab Habib has been released. She was falsely accused of drug peddling in Saudi Arabia and was arrested in December 2018 with Tramadol, a banned substance.
Investigations by the Nigerian government have since revealed that the drug was planted in Zainab’s luggage by a cartel that specialises in planting drugs in the bags of unsuspecting travellers.
This is new development which is cheering news, is coming after President Muhammadu Buhari directed the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, to intervene in the case.
According to the information that we gathered, Zainab Aliyu is a student of Maitama Sule University, Kano, who travelled for Lesser Hajj in Dec. 2018 was detained by the Saudi Arabia authorities for allegedly being in possession of a banned substance, Tramadol.
Mrs Abike Dabiri Erewa, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, had said this on Monday:
“President Muhammadu Buhari gave the directive immediately the matter was brought to his attention about two weeks ago.
“My office has been working with the AGF as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in that regard,” she said.
The Presidential aide assured that progress was being made in Zainab’s case along with two others held in similar circumstances in Saudi Arabia.
“Zainab Aliyu although detained had not been put on trial by the Saudi Arabia government.
“And with the hard evidence that those who implicated her have been arrested, a strong legal case is being made to the Saudi authorities,” she said.
Mr Habib Aliyu, the father of the alleged drug courier, Zainab, had appealed to the Federal Government to intervene in her daughter’s case and save the ‘innocent’ lady from being executed wrongly.
..more on this to come shortly…