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

According to NAN, the three suspects were in the country for the Hajj exercise. The Executive Secretary, Kwara Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Hajia Fatima Abolore-Jimoh, confirmed the arrest yesterday from Saudi Arabia in a telephone interview. She said the three pilgrims, who were among the first batch of 505 Pilgrims from Kwara State, were arrested in Madinnah by Saudi Arabia security operatives.

Hajia Fatima Abolore-Jimoh, who did not disclose the identities of the three suspects, said they were still in the custody of Saudi Arabian authorities as at the time of filing this report.

She 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. Saudi Arabia has one of the toughest laws on drug trafficking as the crime is punishable by beheading.

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. A total of 1,978 pilgrims from the state are performing the 2016 pilgrimage exercise. (Daily Sun)

•Photo shows Nigerian Hajj pilgrims about to board a flight to Saudi Arabia.