THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered a major drug trafficking syndicate operating at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, responsible for implicating three innocent Nigerian pilgrims currently detained in Saudi Arabia on drug trafficking allegations.
The victims; Mrs. Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, Mrs. Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu, and Abdulhamid Saddiq had embarked on the lesser hajj earlier this month when their details were fraudulently linked to luggage containing narcotics.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, revealed that the pilgrims, who flew aboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940 from Kano to Jeddah on August 6, unknowingly had six additional bags checked in under their names. Three of those bags, later intercepted in Saudi Arabia, were found to contain illicit drugs.
“Mrs. Maryam Abdullahi checked in only one bag weighing 9kg, which did not even arrive with her at Jeddah,” Babafemi said. “Yet, she and two others were tagged with additional bags secretly planted by the syndicate in collaboration with corrupt airport officials.”
Upon arrival in Jeddah, Saudi authorities detained the three unsuspecting pilgrims, who remain in custody. Their ordeal has triggered outrage among relatives and sparked urgent intervention from Nigerian authorities.
Investigations traced the illicit operation to 55-year-old Mohammed Ali Abubakar, also known as Bello Karama, who allegedly masterminded the scheme. Abubakar, according to NDLEA, worked in cahoots with staff of the Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) to illegally tag the bags against the pilgrims’ names.
Strikingly, while he planted the bags on Ethiopian Airlines, Abubakar himself traveled to Jeddah the same day via Egypt Air, apparently to avoid detection.
“The bags illegally tagged against the complainants’ names are the ones intercepted in Saudi Arabia and found to contain narcotics. It is clear these pilgrims are victims of a well-coordinated criminal conspiracy,” Babafemi stated.
So far, six members of the syndicate have been arrested.
Four suspects; Ali Abubakar Mohammed, Abdulbasit Adamu, Murtala Akande Olalekan, and Celestina Yayock have already been charged in court.
During interrogation, Celestina admitted checking in two of the bags for a ₦100,000 fee, while another suspect, Jazuli Kabir, confessed to checking in two others for the same amount. Evidence of money transfers from Abubakar to his accomplices has been recovered.
NDLEA’s chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd), has assured that the agency, in collaboration with relevant government authorities, is working to secure the release of the innocent Nigerians.
“Nigeria will never abandon its citizens, especially when facts clearly show they are victims of criminal conspiracies,” Babafemi emphasized.
The case has reignited public debate over security lapses at Nigerian airports, the complicity of handling company staff in drug smuggling, and the dangers faced by innocent travelers whose details can be exploited by organized crime syndicates.