Ibrahim Abubakar
from EMEKA OKONKWO in Abuja, Nigeria
ABUJA, (CAJ News) – A NIGERIAN man has narrowly survived a probable death sentence in Saudi Arabia where he was facing charges of drug trafficking.
Ibrahim Abubakar has been released after the Nigeria in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) and Zamfara State Government in his country provided proof to Saudi courts that three people, that had since been arrested in Nigeria, planted the illicit drugs on his luggage.
Abubakar was arrested in 2017 upon arrival in the Medina Airport when his luggage was found to contain 1 497 tablets of tramadol.
Punishment for drug trafficking in Saudi Arabia is execution.
Abubakar has been freed after a delegation of NIDCOM and Zamfara officials arrived in the Saudi city of Jeddah with documentary evidence provided by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The drugs agency has since established the illegal drug had allegedly been concealed in a bag and tagged to Abubakar’s passport at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport by his travel agent, named Mahmood Sani, and two other handlers at the airport, named as Celina Yaycock and Anthony Johnson.
The motive behind their alleged motive could not be ascertained.
“These suspects have since been charged to Federal High Court, Kano,” said Jonah Achema, NDLEA Principal Staff Officer, said.
according to human rights groups, Saudi Arabia has carried out nearly 600 executions since the beginning of 2014, over 200 of them in drug cases.
The vast majority of the remainder was for murder, rape, incest and terrorism.
– CAJ News