The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has busted a notorious drug trafficking syndicate that sponsored Hajj pilgrims as cocaine couriers to Saudi Arabia, arresting three key masterminds in Kano.
The operation followed the arrest of two intending pilgrims, Ibrahim Umar Mustapha and Muhammad Siraj Shifado, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport on Monday, 26th May 2025. The suspects were apprehended during the final screening of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 940 to Jeddah, based on credible intelligence.
Drug Abuse: Police, NDLEA, others partner as Zaura foundation intensify non-Kinetic campaign in Kano
After body scans confirmed they had ingested illicit substances, the pilgrims were placed under observation and excreted a total of 90 wraps of cocaine (45 each) weighing 1.04 kilograms.
Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of three key sponsors: Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Muhammed Tijjani, and Muhammad Aji Shugaba, on Tuesday, 27th, and Wednesday, 28th May 2025. The trio are believed to be the kingpins behind a network trafficking cocaine to Saudi Arabia using unsuspecting or complicit pilgrims.
In a related operation, NDLEA operatives at the same airport arrested a 60-year-old businessman, Chinedu Leonard Okigbo, traveling on Qatar Airways flight QR1432 to Iran. A body scan revealed he had ingested 65wraps of cocaine weighing 1.41 kilograms.
Meanwhile, in Rivers State, NDLEA officers at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, in collaboration with Customs and other security agencies, seized a staggering ₦9.3 billion worth of opioids between Wednesday, 28th and Friday, 30th May 2025. The haul included:
Drug Abuse: Police, NDLEA, others partner as Zaura foundation intensify non-Kinetic campaign in Kano
825,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup and trodol, valued at ₦5,776,400,000
5,100,000 pills of tapentadol 225mg, worth ₦3,570,000,000
In yet another bust on Friday, 30th May 2025, NDLEA operatives along the Kano–Maiduguri road arrested two suspects—Abubakar Hussein, 42, and Sahabi Adamu, 53—carrying $900,000 in cash suspected to be counterfeit. The suspects and the currency have been transferred to the appropriate agency for further investigation.
The suspects and the currency have been transferred to the appropriate agency for further investigation.
Elsewhere, NDLEA officers in Adamawa State on Tuesday, 27th May 2025, seized 390 compressed blocks of skunk (a potent strain of cannabis) weighing 275.3 kilograms from an abandoned Toyota Sienna marked YLA-408GG along the Ngurore–Yola road.
In Ilorin, Kwara State, on Saturday, 31st May 2025, NDLEA officers arrested a notorious female drug dealer, Alhaja Mutiat Abdul-Fatai, at Oja Oba. Seized from her were various quantities of tramadol, flunitrazepam, and codeine-based syrup.
NDLEA’s social advocacy efforts under the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) also continued nationwide, with sensitization lectures delivered in Katsina, Enugu, Anambra, Kano, and Cross River States, among others.
Commending the officers for their dedication and resilience, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the agency’s balanced efforts in reducing both drug supply and demand across Nigeria.
“These successes reflect the tireless commitment of our officers and the unwavering support of the communities we serve,” Marwa said.