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BY ANTHONY OMOH
Maryam Hussaini-Abdullahi, a woman wrongfully detained in Saudi Arabia may have respite following new information.
She was linked to a sack of marijuana discovered in a luggage pooled to her name which she insists is not hers. NDLEA Official.
According to new information, Maryam, who traveled with her husband, Abdullahi Baffa, may find relief after improved CCTV coverage from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) surfaced.
The footage shows baggage handling and airline staff deliberately tagging a bag filled with marijuana to her single piece of luggage without her knowledge.
This act of adding baggage under someone else’s allowance without their consent, a practice known as baggage pooling, is a serious security breach.
While baggage pooling is a common way for travelers on the same booking to share their allowance, doing so with a stranger is strictly prohibited due to security and liability concerns. Case in point this marijuana cache. Airlines Colluding to Plant Drugs
The Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has now arrested five persons in connection with the bag containing marijuana and is set to unmask all the players involved today in a press conference.
Maryam’s husband, Abdullahi Baffa, accused Ethiopian Airlines and baggage staff of criminal negligence.
He insists the marijuana filled bag was added to his wife’s luggage after they had been properly cleared at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) in Kano.
Baffa’s narrative is that he and Maryam each traveled with just one bag.
According to Baffa, the airline itself has confessed to wrongdoing. The video evidence shows the suspects carrying out the criminal act.
He stated that the suspects involved in this marijuana bag, who are both airline and airport handlers, have been identified and are with a security agency. However, he was unable to disclose their names due to the ongoing investigation.
However, a well placed source in Kano corroborated Baffa ‘s report. She said the CCTV footage is what has led to a stall against Maryam and may very well lead to her acquittal from Saudi Security.
Baffa also revealed that security operatives at the Rihab Centre in Makkah initially found inconsistencies when comparing Maryam’s luggage tag numbers with the impounded marijuana sack, yet she was still detained.
However, this new evidence has stalled Saudi authorities from prosecuting Maryam while waiting for all those involved in the marijuana travesty to be brought to book.
This incident is reminiscent of a similar case in 2019.
Another Nigerian, Zainab Habib Aliyu, an indigene of Kano, was also framed for drug trafficking and was detained for over four months before her innocence was proven. The Nigerian government is now taking over Maryam’s case.
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