THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has exposed a sprawling drug trafficking cartel operating within Nigeria’s aviation sector, accused of planting narcotics on unsuspecting pilgrims and implicating them abroad.
The shocking revelations come days after three innocent Nigerian pilgrims, Mrs. Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, Mrs. Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu, and Abdulhamid Sadiq were detained in Saudi Arabia on allegations of drug trafficking. Their ordeal has thrown Nigeria’s aviation industry into fresh controversy, sparking outrage, fear, and renewed calls for urgent reform.
According to NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the pilgrims boarded Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET940 from Kano to Jeddah on August 6. Unknown to them, six extra bags were secretly tagged in their names by corrupt airport workers acting on the instructions of a cartel.
Three of those bags later intercepted in Saudi Arabia contained narcotics.
“Mrs. Maryam Abdullahi checked in only one bag weighing 9kg, which ironically never even arrived in Jeddah,” Babafemi told journalists.
“But her name, alongside two others, was maliciously linked to additional bags stuffed with drugs. This was done in collusion with aviation ground handling staff.”
Saudi authorities detained the three pilgrims upon arrival. They remain in custody despite clear evidence pointing to foul play.
NDLEA Investigators traced the criminal conspiracy to 55-year-old Mohammed Ali Abubakar, also known as Bello Karama, a veteran smuggler who allegedly orchestrated the plot with staff of the Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO).
In a brazen move, Abubakar reportedly planted the drugs on Ethiopian Airlines but personally flew to Jeddah the same day on Egypt Air, a diversionary tactic to escape suspicion.
So far, six members of the cartel have been arrested. Four suspects; Ali Abubakar Mohammed, Abdulbasit Adamu, Murtala Akande Olalekan, and Celestina Yayock, have been arraigned in court.
Celestina admitted to checking in two drug-laden bags for a ₦100,000 bribe, while another suspect, Jazuli Kabir, confessed to a similar deal. NDLEA has since recovered evidence of money transfers linking the payments to Abubakar.
The human cost of the crime is devastating. In an emotional account, Abdullahi Baffa, husband of detained pilgrim Maryam Abdullahi, recounted the nightmare.
He said his wife was arrested in Makkah after Saudi police linked a strange “Ghana Must Go” sack loaded with marijuana to her travel documents.
“We travelled with only one bag each,” he told News Point Nigeria. “On arrival in Jeddah, our bags were missing. Days later, they called me to collect a bag, but I refused and asked them to send it back to Nigeria.
“Suddenly, they blocked my wife from returning home and said her name was tied to a suspicious bag. This is criminal.”
Baffa accused Ethiopian Airlines of complicity, saying staff tried to “cover up” the matter and pleaded with him not to escalate it.
This disturbing case mirrors the infamous Zainab Aliyu saga of 2018, when a Nigerian student was detained in Saudi Arabia after drug barons planted narcotics in her luggage. Zainab spent four harrowing months in detention before she was exonerated and later recruited as an NDLEA officer.
But experts fear that many other innocent Nigerians remain unjustly jailed abroad without the media attention or government pressure that freed Zainab.
“This cartel is bigger than what has been uncovered,” an NDLEA official in Kano told News Point Nigeria. “It involves powerful businessmen, senior airport officials, and airline staff. Those arrested are mere foot soldiers.”
The revelations have shaken confidence in Nigeria’s aviation system.
A lesser Hajj pilgrim, Fatima Mimi Hassan, described the situation as deeply troubling. She recalled the 2018 case of Zainab Aliyu and said it made her extremely cautious each time she travels not only to Saudi Arabia but also to destinations like Dubai and even Lagos.
“Since that incident, I have become extra vigilant. I guard my luggage jealously and avoid unnecessary interactions at the airport. To me, the airport is not a social ground, it’s a sensitive zone where one must remain alert,” she stressed.
Mimi urged fellow travellers to adopt the same attitude, warning that a seemingly friendly passenger could be the reason someone spends a lifetime in prison.
“Be watchful, be cautious, and be careful who you engage with while travelling,” she advised.
Similarly, Engineer Munzali Ibrahim expressed fear and anxiety over his upcoming family trip to Saudi Arabia.
“We were scheduled to travel with my wives and children on the same airline for Umrah, but honestly, I am scared,” he confessed. “I don’t even know how to cancel the tickets and secure a refund. I am already consulting my lawyers because I cannot risk travelling with such a large entourage under these circumstances.”
Adding to the concern, Imran Muhammad, a Nigerian-born Saudi-based security consultant and lawyer, revealed to News Point Nigeria that more than 210 Nigerians, mostly from Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Jigawa, and Sokoto are languishing in Saudi prisons over suspicious luggage cases.
“We are convinced of their innocence, but proving it in court has been extremely difficult due to lack of evidence. These people came to pray, yet they are unjustly trapped in foreign prisons because someone, somewhere, exploited the system to enrich themselves,” he lamented.
In the same vein, an airline operator identified simply as Shanono described the racket as a well-coordinated criminal enterprise.
“This is not the work of one airline alone, it’s a large syndicate. Even if one carrier is placed under close scrutiny, they simply shift to another.
“The network involves aviation assistants, airline staff, airport security operatives, collaborators in foreign airports, and even influential businessmen. It’s a multi-layered cartel, and unless it is uprooted completely, the menace will persist,” Shanono told News Point Nigeria.
Bashir Sani Malam, a Kano-Saudi trader, warned that legitimate businesspeople are now stigmatized: “This is frightening. Saudi is a holy land. Our reputations and businesses are at stake. The government must act before this backfires on Nigeria.”
Travel agent, Abubakar Abba, accused Ethiopian Airlines of repeated involvement: “This is the third time this airline is linked to such scandal. Government should punish them severely. They cannot claim ignorance.”
Aviation security expert, Group Capt. John Ojikutu (retd.), insisted systemic failures are to blame: “Until airlines, handling companies, and regulatory bodies face real sanctions, this will continue. We need stricter checks, not excuses.”
NDLEA chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), has vowed that Nigeria will not abandon its citizens abroad.
“Nigeria will never abandon its citizens, especially when facts clearly show they are victims of criminal conspiracies,” Babafemi reiterated on his behalf.
The agency says investigations are ongoing, and more arrests are expected as authorities unravel the network of accomplices.