Zainab Aliyu, lady wrongly detained in Saudi for ‘drug trafficking’, completes NYSC

Zainab Aliyu, a Nigerian lady, who was wrongly detained in Saudi Arabia for alleged drug trafficking, has completed her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) service year.

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), broke the news on her social media page on Thursday.

“Remember Zainab Aliyu, wrongly jailed in Saudi for carrying drugs she had no knowledge of, and rescued with the intervention of ⁦@MBuhari⁩? She just completed her NYSC. We wish Zainab the best as she moves on to great success in life,” she wrote on Twitter.

💃🏿💃🏿💃🏿👏🏼Remember Zainab Aliyu, wrongly jailed in Saudi for carrying drugs she had no knowledge of , and rescued with the intervention of ⁦@MBuhari⁩ ? She just completed her NYSC. We wish Zainab the best as she moves on to great success in life ⁦@Hajarahhh⁩ 🙏🏿🙏🏿 pic.twitter.com/GTBWWZjH9S

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— Abike Dabiri-Erewa (@abikedabiri) July 16, 2020

The young lady was arrested by Saudi Arabia authorities on December 26, 2018 after tramadol, a drug prohibited in Saudi Arabia, was found in her bag.

Aliyu had travelled alongside her mother and sister to the country for lesser hajj.

But on arrival in Medina, she was arrested by security operatives over allegations that the bag bearing her name tag contained tramadol.

She was consequently detained leading to an outcry from Nigerians on social media platforms.

Aliyu would later be released from prison in April 2019 and returned to Nigeria on May 13.

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 weight to bag that contained tramadol.

She was among the 2019 Batch ‘B’ Stream 2 corps members that passed out on Thursday in a low-key ceremony as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.