Breaking: Freed Zainab returns to Nigeria from Saudi

The Nigerian undergraduate Zainab Aliyu who was freed of drug charges in Saudi Arabia, on Monday returned to the country.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Relations & Diaspora, Abike Dabiri, confirmed her return on her verified Twitter handle.

She tweeted, “Welcome home Zainub Aliyu from Saudi. So so excited. Big gratitude to our President @MBuhari for intervening to ensure that an innocent girl was not punished for an offence she did not commit.”

Zainab, a student of Maitama Sule University, Kano, was arrested after a banned drug, Tramadol, was found in her bag. She claimed it was planted in her luggage by unknown persons.

Aliyu, a 22-year-old student of the Maitama Sule University in Kano, had travelled to Saudi Arabia for lesser hajj alongside her mother and sister.

She was arrested by Saudi police authorities over allegations that the bag bearing her name tag contained tramadol.

Her arrest had led to the discovery of an alleged drug cartel at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport that reportedly transferred her excess luggage weight to bag that contained tramadol.

She was released to the Nigerian mission in Saudi Arabia after the federal government made efforts to investigate and establish their innocence.

It was reported that the 7-man syndicate specialise in planting banned drugs in travelers’ luggage to export the substances to Saudi Arabia and other foreign countries.

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