A Nigerian woman, Maryam Hussaini-Abdullahi, who was falsely accused of traveling to Saudi Arabia with a bag containing marijuana, has been released, SaharaReporters has confirmed.
Confirming her release on Friday, her husband, Hussaini Abdullahi, said, “She has been released after all the evidence given by the Nigerian National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).”
He, however, noted that while they had been cleared by the Saudi authorities, they were still waiting for the Nigerian consulate in Saudi Arabia to sign her release.
“But we are still in Saudi Arabia waiting for them to give her permission to travel. You know they blocked her passport from being used to travel out of the country,” he said.
“She called me to say that they released her and are looking for the Nigerian consulate to come and sign her release.”
In August, SaharaReporters reported that Ethiopian Airlines staff members and baggage handlers were named among suspects in the case of Maryam, after her name was linked to a marijuana-filled bag.
Maryam was kept in custody after Saudi officials reportedly chained her hands and legs while investigating a “Ghana must go” sack wrongly associated with her.
Her husband, Abdullahi, who spoke to SaharaReporters, lamented that their children were left at home while the couple embarked on what they thought would be a short trip.
Abdullahi accused Ethiopian Airlines of criminal negligence, insisting that the suspicious bag was attached to his wife’s luggage without her knowledge or consent.
“We are still on the matter, but prayer is the best option now,” he told SaharaReporters.
“Video footage and names of the suspects were sent to me, but security agencies pleaded with me not to share with anybody yet,” he said.
“All the suspects in Nigeria are out, and they are with the security agency. The suspects are the handlers and Ethiopian airline staff.”
He said the airline itself had admitted wrongdoing.
“The Ethiopian airline confessed that baggage was added to her name. Some video footage shows the suspect who committed all the crime,” he added.
When asked if he could provide the video evidence, Abdullahi said he could not share further details yet.
Earlier, Abdullahi explained that both he and Maryam travelled with one bag each and were properly cleared at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport. They later discovered their luggage was missing after arriving in Jeddah on August 7.
He said security operatives at the Rihab Centre in Makkah compared Maryam’s tag numbers with the impounded sack and found inconsistencies, yet still detained her for further investigation.
Abdullahi condemned what he described as “unholy conduct” by the airline, demanding justice for his wife as the matter now lies under government control.
He further explained that their “flight was connected through Addis Ababa.”
They also “arrived at Jeddah on August 7, scaled all the screening processes without any hassles.”
He told SaharaReporters that, “when we arrived, our luggage was missing, and I reported it to the luggage claim desk.”
After buying new clothes and essentials in Madinah, the couple attempted to return to Nigeria, only to discover that Maryam had been blocked from travelling.
“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,” Abdullahi said.
He said security operatives compared her luggage tags with the impounded bag but found no match.
“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,” he said.
“But they insisted on detaining pending further investigations,” he narrated.
