To start with, Zainab Habibu Aliyu was the lady who was wrongfully accused of smuggling 2,000 packs of “Tramadol” to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which is a capital punishment in the Kingdom. She was detained for months awaiting execution over her alleged offence before she was later freed. It was found that the said “Tramadol” found in a bag bearing her name was planted to her in Aminu Kano International Airport by a drug cartel.
She was then a student of Maitama Sule University, Kano who left Kano aboard Ethiopian Airline for a lesser Hajj in Saudi Arabia on December 24, 2018. She was accompanied by her mother, Hajiya Maryam Habib Aliyu and sister Hajara Habib Aliyu. They had a stop-over at Addis-Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, on December 25 before they proceeded and arrived at Jeddah on the early hours of December 26.
Upon her arrest over the said allegation , Zainab’s father immediately reported the matter to the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria(FAAN), Nigerian Embassy and other relevant authorities. After investigation, six alleged members of a drug cartel were later arrested in connection with the planting of “Tramadol” in Zainab’s traveling bag. Three of the drug planting cartel were said to be “clearing agents”, two others were said to be the staff of a “security company” and one of them was said to be a staff of an “airline handling company”.
In my observation, the scenario of planting drugs to unsuspecting travellers are probably being done by adding extra luggage with a different colour bearing the name of an unsuspecting traveller without his or her prior knowledge. Upon reaching a destination, the traveller will just likely pick his or her luggage and leave the one that does not belong to him or her which will then give an accomplice from a syndicate the opportunity to pick the extra luggage for their illegal deals. Where that opportunity is blocked due to strict security measures the unsuspecting traveller might be innocently caught.
I had in my article of 5th May, 2019 expressed worries over the subject of her arrest, a “Tramadol”, which is a contraband product in Nigeria. Despite the fact that the product is contraband it still got it way to our country and subsequently carried out to another country. It disheartened to note that despite all the officials of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN); the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA); and the Nigerian Customs etc., in Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport(MAKIA) such a thing happened. Zainab was lucky to be cleared, but many innocent souls might have been lost by the activities of the said alleged drug cartel.
I had in the said article advocated for the compensation of miss Zainab by both the government of Nigeria and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I had equally advocated for thorough investigation on the issue that may lead to the prosecution of the culprits. Let me re-state my call on the authorities concern to make sure that all the culprits are accordingly prosecuted to serve as deterrent to would be offenders.
I am pleased to note that Zainab H. Aliyu, is among the 2,000 newly trained officers who passed out from the NDLEA Academy on the 19th of November, 2021. As officers of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA) you should and or must put in extra ordinary efforts in the fight against drug abuse. The government should and or must fully equipped the agency with modern gadgets in order do their job efficiently and effectively.
I employed miss Zainab and her service colleagues to carry out their duties with honesty and patriotism in order to salvage our dear country from the effects of drugs. Permit me to congratulate you and your service colleagues on your commissioning. Please accept my best wishes.
May God bless Nigeria!
