TheCable

Zainab Aliyu Kila, a Nigerian who was detained in Saudi Arabia for alleged drug trafficking, has joined the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

She was arrested on December 26, 2018 after tramadol, a drug prohibited in Saudi Arabia, was found in a bag bearing her name tag.

Zainab, who was a student of the Maitama Sule University, Kano, had travelled to Saudi Arabia for lesser hajj alongside her mother and sister, but was nabbed over allegations that the bag containing the illicit drugs belonged to her.

Her arrest had led to the discovery of an alleged drug cartel at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport that reportedly transferred her excess luggage to the bag that contained tramadol.

The syndicate is said to specialise in planting banned drugs in travellers’ luggages to export the substances to Saudi Arabia and other foreign countries.

After spending 124 days in prison, Zainab was released after intervention from the Nigerian government, NDLEA, and civil society organisations.

After her release, Zainab had narrated how she learnt “pure Arabic” and memorised half of the Qur’an during her stint in prison.

In July 2019, she completed her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) service year.

According to Habibu Aliyu, her father, Zainab is one of the newly trained narcotics officers, whose passing-out parade from the NDLEA academy held on Friday in Plateau state.