The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced on Sunday that three Nigerian nationals arrested and prosecuted for drug trafficking in Saudi Arabia have been discharged and acquitted.
Hadiza Abba, Fatima Umate Malah, and Fatima Kannai Gamboi were apprehended on March 5, 2024, at Prince Mohammad bin Abdul Azeez International Airport, Madinah.
Their release marks a significant victory in ensuring justice for Nigerian citizens abroad.
The ministry attributed their successful release to prolonged diplomatic and legal engagements, which culminated in their discharge and acquittal, as well as subsequent handover to the Consulate-General of Nigeria in Jedd
A statement by Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa,
Acting Spokesperson of the Ministry on Sunday recalled that the arrest of the three women was a result of the earlier arrest of two Nigerian nationals who were found in possession of 80 capsules of Cocaine weighing 900.28 gm and 70 capsules of Cocaine weighing 789.5gm, respectively.
The women were subsequently detained by the Saudi authorities on suspicion of being accomplices and abating the trafficking of the banned substance found on the aforementioned arrested Nigerians.