Three Nigerian women, Hadiza Abba, Fatima Malah, and Fatima Gamboi, who were arrested and prosecuted in Saudi Arabia on charges related to drug possession, have been released.
According to a statement issued on Sunday, 5th January 2025, by Kimiebi Ebienfa, Acting Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, their release followed sustained diplomatic efforts by the Nigerian government.
The women were arrested on 5th March 2024, at Prince Mohammad bin Abdul Azeez International Airport in Madinah while on pilgrimage. They were detained for ten months on suspicion of complicity in a drug trafficking case involving two other Nigerian nationals.
Following prolonged legal and diplomatic engagements, the Saudi authorities discharged and acquitted the three women. They were subsequently handed over to the Consulate-General of Nigeria in Jeddah and are now awaiting travel arrangements to return to Nigeria
