The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has dismantled a major drug trafficking syndicate that was using Hajj pilgrims as couriers to smuggle cocaine to Saudi Arabia.
According to a statement signed by the Agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, this followed the arrest of key members of the cartel and the seizure of a large quantity of hard drugs and suspected counterfeit currency across multiple states in Nigeria.
The operation began with the arrest of two intending pilgrims, Ibrahim Umar Mustapha and Muhammad Siraj Shifado, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, on Monday, May 26, during outbound passenger clearance for Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 940 to Jeddah.
Abubakar Hussani and Sahabi Adamu
Acting on credible intelligence, NDLEA officers discovered both men had ingested cocaine. They were placed under observation and eventually excreted 45 wraps each, totaling 90 pellets weighing 1.04 kilograms.
the statement noted, a swift follow-up operation led to the arrest of three suspected drug kingpins: Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Muhammed Tijjani, and Muhammad Aji Shugaba, on May 27 and 28 in Kano. They are believed to be leaders of a network specializing in smuggling drugs to Saudi Arabia through unsuspecting pilgrims.
In a separate incident on May 28, NDLEA operatives at Kano airport apprehended a 60-year-old businessman, Chinedu Leonard Okigbo, during clearance for Qatar Airways flight QR1432 to Iran.
According to the statement, a body scan confirmed he had ingested illicit drugs and under observation, he excreted 65 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.41 kilograms.
Meanwhile, in Rivers State, NDLEA officers, in collaboration with Customs and other security agencies, conducted joint examinations of seven flagged containers at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, between May 28 and 30.
The search led to the seizure of 825,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup and Trodol, worth an estimated ₦5.77 billion, and 5.1 million pills of opioids such as tapentadol 225mg, valued at ₦3.57 billion. The total street value of the intercepted opioids stands at ₦9.35 billion.
Also in Kano, on May 30, operatives on patrol along the Kano-Maiduguri road intercepted two men, Abubakar Hussein, 42, and Sahabi Adamu, 53, found in possession of $900,000 in suspected counterfeit currency.
The suspects and the exhibit are to be handed over to relevant authorities for further investigation.
In Adamawa State, 390 compressed blocks of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis weighing 275.3kg, were recovered from an abandoned Toyota Sienna vehicle along the Ngurore, Yola road on May 27.
In Kwara State, a notorious female drug dealer, Alhaja Mutiat Abdul-Fatai, was arrested on May 31 in Ilorin’s Oja Oba area. Various quantities of tramadol, flunitrazepam, and codeine syrup were seized from her.
As part of its ongoing public education efforts under the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, NDLEA also conducted sensitization lectures at several secondary schools across Katsina, Enugu, Anambra, Kano, and Cross River states during the past week.
Commending the success of the operations, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised officers from the MAKIA, PHPC, Kano, Kwara, and Adamawa Commands. He urged all commands to maintain the agency’s dual focus on reducing both drug supply and demand.
