Saudi Arabian authorities have detained a Nigerian pilgrim, Maryam Hussaini-Abdullahi, after a bag containing suspected marijuana was allegedly tagged in her name by Ethiopian Airlines.
Mrs Hussaini-Abdullahi, who travelled with her husband, Abdullahi Baffa, for lesser Hajj, was stopped in Makkah when police linked a “Ghana-must-go” sack to her travel documents.
Her husband, in an interview with Daily Nigerian, accused Ethiopian Airlines of negligence, insisting the controversial bag was never hers.
The couple left Malam Aminu Kano International Airport on August 6 with only one bag each. They connected their flight in Addis Ababa before arriving in Jeddah on August 7, only to discover their luggage was missing.
“They gave us a complaint form and promised feedback within 48 hours. We were stranded without spare clothes and had to buy new ones in Madinah,” Baffa said.
Eight days later, the airline informed him that one of their bags had surfaced in Jeddah, but he refused collection, asking it be returned to Nigeria.
Trouble began when they attempted to return home last Thursday. “At the airport, I was cleared, but my wife was stopped. They said her name was linked to a suspicious bag,” Baffa explained.
With assistance from the Nigerian Consulate in Madinah, the couple went to the Rihab Centre in Makkah, where investigators confirmed that a bag carrying her name contained wrapped items. However, the luggage number did not match her original tag.
“She was shown a Ghana-must-go sack filled with items we had never seen. My wife is completely innocent,” he insisted.
Baffa accused Ethiopian Airlines of a cover-up, saying the airline privately admitted the bag was not incriminating but still urged him not to escalate the matter.
He has called on the Nigerian government to intervene urgently and pressed for CCTV footage from Aminu Kano International Airport to prove their innocence.
An Ethiopian Airlines official confirmed the incident was under investigation across “multiple stations.”
Nigeria’s Consul General in Jeddah, Muazam Nayaya, also confirmed awareness of the case. “We have commenced an investigation and will soon send a report to headquarters,” he said.
