- Safiu Kehinde
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have bursted and dismantled a drug, syndicate, arresting three kingpins that allegedly sponsored couriers in guise of hajj pilgrims to move cocaine to Saudi Arabia during pilgrimage.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi.
According to the statement, the kingpins identified as Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Tijjani, and Muhammad
Shugaba were arrested on Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th May 2025 in Kano.
This came following the arrest of two pilgrims, Ibrahim Umar Mustapha and Muhammad Siraj Shifado at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, last week Monday during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airline flight ET 940 to Jedda, Saudi Arabia.
The intending pilgrims were reportedly apprehended during the NDLEA final screening at the Kano airport.
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 1.04kg.
Investigation would then 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 suspected three kingpins.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives again at the Kano airport on Wednesday intercepted a 60-year-old businessman Chinedu Leonard Okigbo during the outward clearance of Qatar Airways flight QR1432 to Iran.
His body scan, according to Babafemi, 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.