NDLEA busts syndicate sponsoring pilgrims with cocaine to hajj

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered and dismantled a syndicate that sponsors hajj pilgrims who also serve as couriers to move cocaine to Saudi Arabia during pilgrimage.

The report of NDLEA busts pilgrims with cocaine was disclosed in a statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi on Sunday said, followed the arrest of leaders of the cartel in Kano.

The arrest of the kingpins, Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Muhammed Tijjani, and Muhammad Aji Shugaba on 27th and 28th May 2025 in Kano was a follow-up to the arrest of two pilgrims, Ibrahim Umar Mustapha and Muhammad Siraj Shifado at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano on 26th May during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airline flight ET 940 to Jedda, Saudi Arabia.

Babafemi said the interdiction of the intending pilgrims at the NDLEA final screening point at the Kano airport was based on credible intelligence adding that, when they were taken for scanning, the result confirmed ingestion of illicit substances.

He said they were subsequently placed on excretion observation during which they excreted 45 wraps of cocaine each, bringing the total for both to 90 pellets with a total weight of 1.04kg.

Investigation unraveled their sponsors as leaders of a notorious drug trafficking network, which specializes in trafficking illicit drugs to Saudi Arabia. A swift follow-up operation was carried out, and the trio of Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Muhammed Tijjani, and Muhammad Aji Shugaba were arrested on 27th and 28th May 2025 in Kano.

In a related development, NDLEA operatives at the Kano airport on 28th May intercepted a 60-year-old businessman, Chinedu Leonard Okigbo during the outward clearance of Qatar Airways flight QR1432 to Iran. His body scan confirmed he ingested illicit substances as a result of which he was placed on excretion observation during which he excreted 65 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.41kg.

At the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers state, the statement said, no fewer than seven watch-listed containers were positioned for joint examination by NDLEA officers, men of Custom Service and other security agencies between 28th and 30th May, during which 825,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup and trodol worth N5,776,400,000 in street value were seized while a total of 5,100,000 pills of opioids especially, tapentadol 225mg worth N3,570,000,000 were recovered.

“This brings the combined street value of the opioids to N9,346,400,000.00”, the statement said.

In another operation in Kano, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Kano- Maiduguri road Friday, intercepted the duo of Abubakar Hussein and Sahabi Adamu with $900,000 cash suspected to be counterfeit. The suspects and the exhibit will be transferred to the appropriate agency for further investigation.

While a total of 390 compressed blocks of skunk, a strain of cannabis weighing 275.300kg were recovered from a parked Toyota Sienna vehicle marked YLA-408GG along Ngurore – Yola road, Adamawa state on 27th May, NDLEA operatives in Kwara on Saturday, arrested a notorious female drug dealer, Alhaja Mutiat Abdul-Fatai at Oja Oba area of Ilorin where various quantities of opioids including tramadol, flunitrazepam and codeine-based syrup were seized from her.

While commending the officers and men of the various Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) equally praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for pursuing a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.

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