Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered and dismantled a criminal syndicate that sponsors Hajj pilgrims to serve as drug couriers to Saudi Arabia. This breakthrough followed the arrest of three key figures of the cartel in Kano.
The suspected kingpins – Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Muhammed Tijjani, and Muhammad Aji Shugaba were arrested on Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th May 2025, after two pilgrims, Ibrahim Umar Mustapha and Muhammad Siraj Shifado, were apprehended at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, during the outward clearance of passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 940 to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The interception of the two pilgrims on Monday 26th May was based on credible intelligence. At the NDLEA’s final screening point at the airport, they were subjected to body scanning, which confirmed the ingestion of illicit substances. Both men were immediately placed under excretion observation. Over time, they excreted 45 wraps of cocaine each, amounting to 90 wraps with a total weight of 1.04 kilograms.
Further investigation traced the origin of their drug trafficking mission to the arrested trio, who are believed to be leaders of a notorious network that specializes in smuggling illicit drugs into Saudi Arabia under the cover of religious pilgrimage. A swift follow-up operation led to their arrest in Kano.
In a related operation, NDLEA operatives at the Kano airport on Wednesday 28th May intercepted a 60-year-old businessman, Chinedu Leonard Okigbo, during the outward clearance of passengers on a Qatar Airways flight QR1432 heading to Iran. A body scan confirmed he had ingested illicit substances, after which he was placed under excretion watch. He eventually excreted 65 wraps of cocaine, weighing 1.41 kilograms.
In another major operation, at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex (PHPC), Onne, Rivers State, no fewer than seven watch-listed containers were subjected to joint examination by NDLEA officers, men of the Nigeria Customs Service, and other security agencies between Wednesday 28th and Friday 30th May. The operation led to the seizure of 825,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup and Trodol, valued at ₦5,776,400,000 (Five Billion, Seven Hundred and Seventy-Six Million, Four Hundred Thousand Naira) in street value.
The team also recovered 5,100,000 pills of opioids, particularly Tapentadol 225mg, worth ₦3,570,000,000 (Three Billion, Five Hundred and Seventy Million Naira). This brings the combined street value of the intercepted opioids to a staggering ₦9,346,400,000 (Nine Billion, Three Hundred and Forty-Six Million, Four Hundred Thousand Naira).
In yet another operation along the Kano–Maiduguri road on Friday 30th May, NDLEA operatives on patrol intercepted two individuals, Abubakar Hussein, 42, and Sahabi Adamu, 53, in possession of $900,000 (Nine Hundred Thousand US Dollars) in cash, suspected to be counterfeit. The suspects and the seized currency have been transferred to the appropriate agency for further investigation.
In Adamawa State, NDLEA officers recovered 390 compressed blocks of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 275.3 kilograms from a parked Toyota Sienna vehicle with registration number YLA-408GG, found along the Ngurore–Yola road on Tuesday 27th May.
Similarly, in Kwara State, a notorious female drug dealer, Alhaja Mutiat Abdul-Fatai, was arrested on Saturday 31st May at Oja Oba area of Ilorin. Various quantities of opioids were recovered from her, including tramadol, flunitrazepam, and codeine-based syrup, following a raid on her base.
Meanwhile, the Agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy campaign continued in full swing across the country in the past week. NDLEA Commands delivered sensitization lectures in the following schools:
- Government Day Senior Secondary School, Kwasarawa, Katsina
- Corpus Christi College, Achi, Enugu
- Epignosis Standard College, Onitsha, Anambra
- Government Girls Secondary School, Utai, Wudil LGA, Kano
- Government Girls Secondary School, Calabar, Cross River
While commending the officers and men of Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Port Harcourt Ports Complex (PHPC), Kano, Kwara, and Adamawa Commands for the successful arrests and seizures during the week, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), also praised NDLEA personnel nationwide for maintaining a balanced and aggressive pursuit of both drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction strategies.
“These arrests and massive seizures are a clear indication of our unwavering commitment to dismantling drug cartels, intercepting illicit substances, and promoting a drug-free Nigeria,” Gen. Marwa stated.
