The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully dismantled a cocaine trafficking syndicate that was smuggling narcotics to Saudi Arabia under the guise of sponsorship for Muslim pilgrims on Hajj. The agency has reported the arrest of three principal suspects during operations in Kano State on Sunday.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the key operatives—Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Muhammed Tijjani, and Muhammad Aji Shugaba—were apprehended on May 27 and 28, 2025, following the earlier arrest of two pilgrims who were attempting to smuggle drugs via the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA).
The two pilgrims, Ibrahim Umar Mustapha and Muhammad Siraj Shifado, were detained on May 26 while preparing to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight (ET 940) to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Acting on credible intelligence, they were subjected to a body scan, which revealed that they had ingested illicit substances.
Under observation for excretion, each individual expelled 45 wraps of cocaine, resulting in a total of 90 wraps weighing 1.04 kg. Subsequent investigations led to the identification and arrest of the cartel leaders believed to orchestrate the smuggling operation.
In a related incident at the same airport, NDLEA arrested 60-year-old businessman Chinedu Leonard Okigbo on May 28, while he was attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Iran. He was found to have ingested 65 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.41 kg.
At the Port Harcourt Ports Complex (PHPC) in Onne, NDLEA operatives, in collaboration with Customs and other security agencies, intercepted seven containers between May 28 and 30. The containers were discovered to contain 825,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup and Trodol, with an estimated street value of ₦5.78 billion, as well as 5.1 million pills of tapentadol (225mg), valued at ₦3.57 billion. The total street value of the seized opioids amounts to ₦9.35 billion.
On the Kano–Maiduguri Road (May 30), NDLEA operatives intercepted Abubakar Hussein (42) and Sahabi Adamu (53) in possession of $900,000 in suspected counterfeit currency. The suspects and the cash have been forwarded to the appropriate authorities for further investigation.
On the Ngurore–Yola Road in Adamawa (May 27), NDLEA recovered 390 compressed blocks of skunk cannabis weighing 275.3 kg from an abandoned Toyota Sienna (Registration No. YLA-408GG).
In Ilorin, Kwara State (May 31), a notorious female drug dealer, Alhaja Mutiat Abdul-Fatai, was apprehended in the Oja Oba area, where various quantities of tramadol, flunitrazepam, and codeine-based syrup were seized.
In alignment with the ongoing War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, the NDLEA conducted sensitization lectures in several educational institutions across the country, including Government Day Senior Secondary School in Kwasarawa, Corpus Christi College in Achi, Epignosis Standard College in Onitsha, and Government Girls Secondary Schools in Utai (Kano) and Calabar (Cross River).
NDLEA Chairman/CEO Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the officers and personnel from the MAKIA, PHPC, Kano, Kwara, and Adamawa Commands for their effective operations during the week. He also extended praise to all NDLEA commands nationwide for their balanced efforts in addressing both drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction.
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