Habibu Aliyu Kila, father of Zainab Aliyu who was recently freed from accusation of drug trafficking in Saudi Arabia has described those who tagged her daughter’s name to a luggage containing illicit drugs as heartless.
Zainab Aliyu, a student of Maitama Sule University, Kano was arrested in Saudi Arabia while on a pilgrimage last December. She had taken off from the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano for the journey with her mum and eldest sister on December 22.
Six suspects, including a woman are currently facing trial for tagging a bag in the name of Zainab at the airport.
Aliyu Kila, a Director with the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) spoke with Abdulfatah Oladeinde of the The Nigerian Xpress at the recent biennial convention of the Nigerian Guild of Editors in Lagos.
He described his daughter’s ordeal as an act of God and expressed delight that her life was spared in the end.
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How did you feel when you were called from Saudi Arabia that your daughter had been arrested for a drug offence?
The first thing I felt was that it was an act of God. I have the conviction that God has so many ways of putting people to trial. I wasn’t seriously disturbed because I submitted myself to God. I was just thinking about how to go about it because I knew she was innocent. The first step I took was to report the case to the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport. I went to the office of the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
They started investigation and within a short time, they were able make arrests. They arrested six people suspected and those arrested confessed. Personally, I was around when they confessed. They made confessions orally and in written statements that they indeed committed the offence. They were then detained and later arraigned at the Federal High Court.
Also, there had been communications between me and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and also the Consulate of Saudi Arabia. After about three and a half months, nothing was done. I later saw the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Diaspora and Foreign Affairs, Abike Dabiri-Erewa saying at a news conference, saying that innocent people were being executed in Saudi Arabia.
And I said, yeah, this is similar to my case and I have proof that my daughter is innocent. So, I wrote a petition to the President through the Office of the Senior Special Assistant on Diaspora, Abike Dabiri and within two weeks, the President directed that the Attorney General should make a quick intervention. And by the will of god, my daughter was released.
Is she back in Nigeria now?
You know, if you travel and overstay and your visa expires, document has to be produced so that you can travel back. We are expecting her soon.
The incident ended positively in spite of the trauma and anxiety that you went through, how do you feel now?
I am grateful to the Almighty God, President Muhammadu Buhari, Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SSA Abike Dabiri and, of course, my constituency, the press for their wonderful assistance and support, because I did not give anyone a kobo. Some university students in Kano made a demonstration for her release. Some international organisations and some many Nigerians showed concern and I thank them for their support.
What happened to your daughter actually showed that some innocent travellers might truly have been executed for offences they did not commit…
Yes, God is wonderful. My daughter’s case has truly shown that some innocent might have been executed. Now lives will be saved. I am sure that is the will of God. God wants to save the innocent. That was why my daughter went through this.
It was learnt that a man was arrested at the same time as your daughter who was also innocent…
Yes, that is to tell you that some people are just heartless. They tagged the luggage containing the drug in my daughter’s name and also did same to an elderly man, an 80-year-old man. The man was also going on pilgrimage. He had a single bag and not up to three thousand in his pocket. But they tagged his name to a bag containing the illicit drug. But he too has been released.
Now that those who perpetrated the act had been arrested, what you you expect now?
Now, the NDLEA is prosecuting them, we are waiting to see what the decision of the court will be at the end of the day. As a family, we are waiting for our daughter to be reunited with us first.
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What’s your advice to the authorities in Saudi Arabia regarding the possibility of innocent travellers being roped into an offence they did not commit?
The Saudi Arabia authorities have their rules and regulations. Our people must be very careful, because those who committed this offence are Nigerians, not Saudi Arabian people. They have their own laws and everybody knows that it is capital punishment for drug trafficking in that country, but people still do it. In fact, the lady among those arrested, knelt down begging me to forgive her, that she did that for a living. You see how heartless people can be, living on somebody else’s life, without minding what happens to their innocent victim.
But for the Saudi Arabians, they should investigate properly and not take hasty actions that will affect innocent souls.
For Nigerians, they have to be very careful and not break the law either at home or abroad. My advice to travellers, don’t trust anybody at the airport.
And how about Nigerian government officials whose disposition seems to suggest that any Nigerian arrested and convicted abroad, might indeed have committed the offence?
Yes, the Nigerian government should act the same way it was done in the case of my daughter so save innocent people from being punished wrongly.
And government should also ensure that punishment is meted to those who engage in this evil act to serve as a deterrent.