The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered a well-coordinated drug trafficking syndicate using unsuspecting Hajj pilgrims as drug mules en route to Saudi Arabia. This major breakthrough followed the arrest of two intending pilgrims at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, on May 26, 2025, during the outward clearance process for passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 940 to Jeddah.
The suspects, identified as Ibrahim Mustapha and Muhammad Shifado, were subjected to a body scan based on credible intelligence received by the agency. The scan revealed that both men had ingested substances suspected to be narcotics. They were immediately placed under excretion observation, eventually passing out a total of 90 wraps of cocaine, 45 each, amounting to 1.04 kilograms.
A swift investigation by the NDLEA unearthed a deeper criminal operation. The arrested suspects revealed key information that led to the arrest of three notorious kingpins alleged to be the sponsors of the drug-laden pilgrimage. Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Muhammed Tijjani, and Muhammad Aji Shugaba were apprehended in coordinated follow-up operations carried out on May 27 and 28 in Kano. The trio are believed to be part of a broader criminal network specializing in smuggling illicit drugs into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through faith-based travel.
Further intensifying its enforcement efforts in Kano, NDLEA operatives at MAKIA arrested a 60-year-old businessman, Chinedu Leonard Okigbo, on May 28. Okigbo, who was scheduled to board a Qatar Airways flight QR1432 to Iran, was also found to have ingested hard drugs. Following his arrest and excretion monitoring, he excreted 65 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.41 kilograms.
While the Kano operations were yielding significant results, NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex (PHPC), Onne, in Rivers State, recorded one of the largest pharmaceutical seizures in recent years. A joint inspection carried out between May 28 and 30 on seven containers flagged for monitoring led to the recovery of 825,200 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup and trodol. Additionally, 5.1 million tablets of tapentadol (225mg strength) were discovered. The combined street value of these seizures is estimated at N9.35 billion.
Still in Kano, the agency recorded another significant seizure along the Kano-Maiduguri highway on May 30. Two men, Abubakar Hussein, aged 42, and Sahabi Adamu, 53, were intercepted with a staggering $900,000 in suspected counterfeit U.S. currency. The suspects and the currency have been handed over to the appropriate law enforcement authorities for detailed investigation and prosecution.
In Adamawa State, the agency discovered a parked Toyota Sienna vehicle along the Ngurore–Yola road, which was found to be loaded with 390 compressed blocks of skunk cannabis, weighing a total of 275.3 kilograms. The drugs were abandoned, and investigations are ongoing to uncover the identities of those responsible.
Meanwhile, in Kwara State, a well-known female drug dealer, Alhaja Mutiat Abdul-Fatai, was arrested in the Oja Oba area of Ilorin on May 31. A raid on her residence led to the recovery of various quantities of controlled opioids, including tramadol, flunitrazepam, and codeine-based cough syrup.
Reacting to the series of successful operations, the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retired), lauded the efforts of the agency’s personnel across different commands. He specifically commended officers at MAKIA, PHPC, and other operational zones including Kano, Kwara, and Adamawa for their unwavering dedication to combating drug trafficking and upholding national security. He further emphasized the agency’s commitment to a strategic approach that tackles both the supply and demand aspects of the drug menace in Nigeria.
The series of operations underscore the rising creativity of drug cartels in exploiting religious pilgrimages and other legitimate platforms for criminal activity, as well as the resolve of NDLEA to clamp down on such networks.
