The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested three major drug traffickers in Kano State after busting a cartel that sponsored Hajj pilgrims to smuggle cocaine to Saudi Arabia under the guise of religious pilgrimage.
This was disclosed in a statement released on Sunday, June 1, 2025, by Femi Babafemi, Director of Media & Advocacy for the NDLEA.
According to Babafemi, the arrest of Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Muhammed Tijjani, and Muhammad Aji Shugaba followed the earlier interception of two suspected drug couriers, Ibrahim Umar Mustapha and Muhammad Siraj Shifado, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport on Monday, May 26. The suspects were attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 940 to Jeddah when they were flagged during final screening.
“Credible intelligence led to their interception. Scans confirmed the ingestion of illicit drugs. Each suspect later excreted 45 wraps of cocaine, totaling 90 pellets weighing 1.04kg,” the statement said.
Further investigation revealed the sponsors of the smuggling operation, leading to a swift follow-up raid that resulted in the arrest of the three drug kingpins in Kano on May 27 and 28.
More Arrests and Seizures
In a separate case at the same airport, NDLEA operatives arrested Chinedu Leonard Okigbo, a 60-year-old businessman, attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight QR1432 to Iran. After a body scan, he was placed under observation and excreted 65 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.41kg.
At the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, a joint operation between the NDLEA, Nigerian Customs, and other security agencies led to the examination of seven watch-listed containers from May 28 to May 30. The operation uncovered:
- 825,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup and Trodol, valued at ₦5.77 billion
- 5.1 million pills of opioids, mainly Tapentadol 225mg, worth ₦3.57 billion
This brought the total street value of seized opioids to a staggering ₦9.35 billion.
Other Notable Operations
- On May 30, NDLEA officers intercepted Abubakar Hussein (42) and Sahabi Adamu (53) on the Kano–Maiduguri Road with $900,000 in suspected counterfeit currency. The case is being transferred to the appropriate agency for further investigation.
- In Adamawa State, 390 blocks of compressed cannabis (Skunk) weighing 275.3kg were recovered from an abandoned Toyota Sienna on Ngurore–Yola Road on May 27.
- In Ilorin, Kwara State, a notorious female drug dealer, Alhaja Mutiat Abdul-Fatai, was arrested on May 31 at Oja Oba. Various quantities of tramadol, flunitrazepam, and codeine-based syrup were seized from her residence.
These latest operations underscore the NDLEA’s ongoing commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks across Nigeria, especially those exploiting religious pilgrimages and international travel.
