Hajj Commission hires lawyers to defend Nigerian student in Saudi Arabia

Zainab-Aliyu

Zainab Aliyu

Zainab Aliyu

Lanre Babalola

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has commenced hiring of lawyers in Saudi Arabia to defend the Nigerian student Zainab Habib arrested by the Saudi authorities for being in possession of a banned substance.

Presidential aide Bashir Ahmad who revealed this on Tuesday in a post on twitter, said the effort is to compliment President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to secure the release of the detained student.

”As President @MBuhari directed AGF to intervene in Zainab Habib’s case, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria announces the hiring of lawyers in Saudi Arabia to compliment efforts of the Nigerian mission in the Kingdom towards securing her timely release from detention,” Ahmad twitted.

Zainab Aliyu, 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 banned substance.

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Zainab, had travelled from Malam Aminu Kano International Airport in company of her mother, Mrs Maryam Aliyu, and sister Hajara Aliyu.

She was later arrested over allegations that a luggage, bearing her name tag, contained the unlawful substance.

Zainab who was accused of entering Saudi Arabia with an illegal dose of Tramadol was later discovered to be a victim of a cartel that specialised in keeping hard drugs in travellers’ bags.

Some members of the drug cartel are already in the custody of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.

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