NDLEA nabs syndicate sponsoring pilgrims with cocaine to hajj

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have busted a syndicate that sponsors hajj pilgrims who also serve as couriers to move cocaine to Saudi Arabia during pilgrimage.

This followed the arrest of leaders of the cartel in Kano, according to a statement by the spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi on Sunday in Abuja.

The arrest of the kingpins: Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Muhammed Tijjani, and Muhammad Aji Shugaba on Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 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 Monday, 26th May, during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airline flight ET 940 to Jedda, Saudi Arabia.

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“The interdiction of the intending pilgrims at the NDLEA final screening point at the Kano airport was based on credible intelligence. When they were taken for scanning, the result confirmed ingestion of illicit substances.

“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 1.04kgs,” Babafemi said.

Investigation soon 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 Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th May 2025 in Kano.

In a related development, NDLEA operatives at the Kano airport on Wednesday 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 1.41kgs.

Meanwhile, at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers State, no fewer than seven watch-listed containers were positioned for joint examination by NDLEA officers, men of Custom Service and other security agencies between Wednesday 28th and Friday 30th May, during which 825,200 bottles of codeine based syrup and trodol worth Five Billion Seven Hundred and Seventy Six Million Four Hundred Thousand Naira only (N5.77bn) in street value were seized while a total of Five Million One Hundred Thousand (5,100,000) pills of opioids especially tapentadol 225mg worth Three Billion Five Hundred and Seventy Million Naira only (N3.57bn) were recovered.

This brings the combined street value of the opioids to Nine Billion Three Hundred and Forty-Six Million Four Hundred Thousand Naira Only (N9.346bn )

In another operation in Kano, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Kano- Maiduguri road Friday 30th May intercepted the duo of Abubakar Hussein, 42, and Sahabi Adamu, 53, with Nine Hundred Thousand US dollars ($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 275.300kgs were recovered from a parked Toyota Sienna vehicle marked YLA-408GG along Ngurore-Yola road, Adamawa State on Tuesday 27th May, NDLEA operatives in Kwara State on Saturday 31st May 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 MAKIA, PHPC, Kano, Kwara, and Adamawa Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of 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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