The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has smashed a major drug cartel at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, arresting a 55-year-old kingpin, Mohammed Ali Abubakar, popularly known as Bello Karama, and five members of his gang who masterminded a plot that landed three innocent Nigerian pilgrims in Saudi Arabian detention.
The suspects allegedly smuggled drugs into the luggage of unsuspecting pilgrims travelling for lesser hajj on August 6, 2025, planting incriminating evidence that led to the arrest of Mrs. Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, Mrs. Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu, and Mr. Abdulhamid Saddiq in Jeddah upon arrival aboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940.
At a press conference in Abuja on Monday, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, flanked by the Director of Assets and Financial Investigation, Dr. Abdul Ibrahim, and the Director of Prosecution and Legal Services, Theresa Asuquo, revealed chilling details of how the syndicate infiltrated airport security processes.
According to NDLEA findings, the gang, working hand-in-glove with corrupt aviation staff, tagged extra drug-laden bags to the victims’ tickets without their knowledge.
The ringleader, Abubakar, reportedly flew the same day on Egypt Air to Jeddah, while his associates checked in seven bags under the names of the three victims.
Some suspects have confessed. One, Celestina Emmanuel Yayock, admitted collecting ₦100,000 to check in two of the bags. Another, Jazuli Kabir, confessed to handling two others for the same fee.
Six suspects are currently in NDLEA custody, four of whom , Abubakar, Abdulbasit Adamu, Murtala Akande Olalekan, and Yayock, have already been arraigned in court.
In a strong reassurance, Babafemi said NDLEA is in active talks with Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC) to exonerate the innocent pilgrims.
He disclosed that NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), will engage with GDNC officials at an upcoming international drug conference and is prepared to travel to Saudi Arabia personally if needed.
“The facts clearly show that these Nigerians are victims of a criminal conspiracy,” Babafemi stressed. “We will not allow them to suffer unjustly.”
The development has sparked widespread outrage, but NDLEA insists its resolve is unshaken: drug traffickers will be relentlessly hunted down, while innocent citizens will never be abandoned.
