The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has finally secured the release of a Nigerian, Ibrahim Abubakar held by Saudi Arabian authorities for drug trafficking. The Head of Public Affairs NDLEA, Jonah Achema in a statement on Wednesday, recalled that Abubakar was arrested upon the allegation that his luggage was found to contain 1,497 tablets of Tramadol.

According to him, Abubakar has been standing trial since 2017 in Saudi Arabia where his punishment for drug trafficking was execution. On December 15, 2017, a letter of complaint was written by Malam Gwani Siddiq from Zamfara urging NDLEA to intervene on the arrest of Abubakar by the Saudi anti-narcotic officials.

The investigation revealed that Abubakar traveled to Saudi on March 10, 2017 through Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) and was arrested at Medina Airport. NDLEA noted that the substance was allegedly concealed in a bag and tagged to his passport at MAKIA by his travel agent named Mahmood Sani and two other handlers at the Airport, one Mrs Celina Yaycock and Mr Anthony Johnson.

Achema said a delegation from Nigeria in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), and Zamfara Government, the home state of Abubakar, arrived in Jeddah with documentary evidence provided by NDLEA for the trial slated for February 18, 2020.

He stated that the documentary evidence included a correspondence from the NDLEA stating that it had arrested and charged three persons who planted the Tramadol tablets on the defendant and a certified copy of the two-count charge sheet from the Federal High Court Kano. These documents were provided to the Saudi Court after which it ruled in favor of Ibrahim and discharged him.

Achema disclosed that the real suspects have been charged to court. This is a commendable act by the NDLEA, an agency in Nigeria who did not forsake an innocent citizen to rot in jail.