3 Nigerian pilgrims arrested in Saudi Arabia for alleged drug trafficking

The Saudi Arabian authorities have arrested three pilgrims from Kwara for alleged possession of substance suspected to be cocaine.

Hajia Fatima Abolore-Jimoh, the Executive Secretary, Kwara Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, confirmed the arrest on Wednesday from Saudi Arabia in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

She said the three pilgrims, who were among the first batch of 505 Pilgrims from Kwara, were arrested in Madinnah by Saudi Arabia security operatives.

The executive secretary, who did not disclose the identities of the three suspects, said they were still in the custody of Saudi Arabian authorities.

Abolore-Jimoh said the Saudi Arabian law would certainly take its course on the three suspected drug traffickers.

She described the arrest as unfortunate and painful in spite of several appeals to them to be good ambassadors of Kwara and Nigeria.

The executive secretary said that other pilgrims from the state were still in Madinnah, hale, healthy and in good spirit in spite of the unfortunate incident.

NAN reports that 1,978 pilgrims from the state are performing the 2016 pilgrimage exercise.