The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a drug trafficking network that sponsored pilgrims traveling to Saudi Arabia for hajj, using them as drug couriers to smuggle cocaine.
In a statement issued on Sunday, June 1, 2025, the agency confirmed the arrest of three alleged leaders of the syndicate – Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Muhammed Tijjani, and Muhammad Aji Shugaba in Kano between May 27 and 28.
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Their arrest followed the earlier apprehension of two pilgrims, Ibrahim Umar Mustapha and Muhammad Siraj Shifado, at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport on May 26. The duo was intercepted while boarding an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Jeddah. Intelligence had tipped off NDLEA officers, who subjected the suspects to body scans. The results showed both men had ingested drugs. Under observation, each excreted 45 wraps of cocaine, totaling 90 pellets weighing 1.04kg.
Further investigation led to the identification and arrest of the three alleged sponsors in Kano.
In a separate operation at the same airport on May 28, NDLEA officers also arrested a 60-year-old businessman, Chinedu Leonard Okigbo, who was traveling to Iran. A scan confirmed he had ingested drugs, and he later excreted 65 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.41kg.
Elsewhere in Kano, a patrol along the Kano-Maiduguri highway on May 30 led to the arrest of two men, Abubakar Hussein, 42, and Sahabi Adamu, 53, with $900,000 in cash suspected to be counterfeit. The suspects and the currency are to be handed over to the appropriate agency for further investigation.
Meanwhile, NDLEA continued its anti-drug awareness campaigns through its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, reaching schools in Katsina, Enugu, Anambra, Kano, and Cross River States.
Chairman and Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the agency’s operatives for their recent successes, praising their balanced approach in tackling both drug supply and demand across the country.
