Mrs. Abdullahi, who travelled with her husband, Abdullahi Baffa, for the lesser Hajj on August 6, was held in Makkah after police linked a “Ghana must go” sack to her name.
Saudi Arabian authorities have detained a Kano woman, Mrs. Maryam Hussaini-Abdullahi, after a bag containing marijuana was allegedly mismatched with her luggage by Ethiopian Airlines.
Mrs. Abdullahi, who travelled with her husband, Abdullahi Baffa, for the lesser Hajj on August 6, was held in Makkah after police linked a “Ghana must go” sack to her name.
Speaking to Daily Nigerian, Baffa said the couple travelled with only one bag each, which were cleared at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport. Their luggage went missing on arrival in Jeddah. “They gave us a complaint form to fill… they also told us to expect feedback within 48 hours,” he said.
After several days, the airline called him to collect one of the bags, but he declined and requested it be sent to Nigeria. On their return trip, Ethiopian Airlines blocked his wife from boarding. At an investigation office in Makkah, security operatives linked her to the suspicious bag.
“The bag was tagged with her name… but luckily the number on the bag was different from the one issued to us by the airline. But they insisted on detaining her pending further investigations,” Baffa explained.
He insisted his wife is innocent, accusing the airline of misconduct. “This is a pure act of criminality, and we will not take it lightly,” he said, calling for government intervention.
The Nigerian Consulate in Jeddah confirmed it had received the report and was investigating, while Ethiopian Airlines said an internal probe was ongoing.