NDLEA busts syndicate sponsoring drug couriers to Saudi Arabia
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have dismantled a syndicate sponsoring drug couriers to Saudi Arabia.
Three of the kingpins were arrested on May 27 in Kano.
They are taking advantage of the ongoing movement of pilgrims for the Hajj to shift illicit drugs to the Holy land.
The kingpins arrested were Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Muhammed Tijjani, and Muhammad Aji Shugaba.
They were nabbed after the arrest of two of their couriers Ibrahim Umar Mustapha and Muhammad Siraj Shifado at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano on Monday May 26 during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airline flight ET 940 to Jedda, Saudi Arabia.
“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 1.04kg.
“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,” the Agency said in a statement.
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 1.41kg.
Also at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers state, no fewer than seven watch-listed containers were jointly examined by NDLEA officers, men of Custom Service and other security agencies between Wednesday 28th and Friday 30th May.
A total of 825,200 bottles of codeine based syrup and trodol worth Five Billion, Seven Hundred and Seventy Six Million, Four Hundred Thousand Naira in street value were seized.
Also, a total of five million, one hundred thousand pills of opioids especially tapentadol 225mg worth over N3.57 billion were recovered.
“This brings the combined street value of the opioids to Nine Billion, Three Hundred and Forty-Six Million, Four Hundred Thousand Naira.”
In another operation in Kano, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Kano- Maiduguri road on May 30 intercepted the duo of Abubakar Hussein, 42, and Sahabi Adamu, 53, with suspected 900,000 fake U.S dollars.
“The suspects and the exhibit will be transferred to the appropriate agency for further investigation,” the NDLEA stated.
The Agency also said its operatives in Adamawa state intercepted 390 compressed blocks of skunk, a strain of cannabis weighing 275.300kg from a parked Toyota Sienna vehicle marked YLA-408GG along Ngurore – Yola road on May 27.
Similarly, a notorious female drug dealer, Alhaja Mutiat Abdul-Fatai was arrested at Oja Oba area of Ilorin in Kwara State with various quantities of opioids including tramadol, flunitrazepam and codeine-based syrup.
