The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully broken up a cocaine trafficking network that was smuggling the drug to Saudi Arabia, using a facade of Hajj sponsorship for Muslim pilgrims. The agency reported the detention of three key suspects during operations in Kano State on Sunday.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi detailed that the main figures—Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Muhammed Tijjani, and Muhammad Aji Shugaba—were apprehended on May 27 and 28, 2025, following the earlier capture of two pilgrims who were attempting to transport drugs via the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA).
The duo, Ibrahim Umar Mustapha and Muhammad Siraj Shifado, was taken into custody on May 26, while preparing to board Ethiopian Airlines flight (ET 940) to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Acting on reliable information, they underwent a body scan that indicated they had consumed illegal substances.
While under observation for excretion, both individuals expelled 45 wraps each of cocaine, bringing the total to 90 wraps weighing 1.04kg. Subsequent inquiries led to the identification and arrest of the syndicate leaders implicated in the smuggling scheme.
In another operation at the same airport, NDLEA agents captured Chinedu Leonard Okigbo, a 60-year-old businessman, on May 28 as he was trying to board Qatar Airways flight (QR1432) to Iran. He was discovered to have ingested 65 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.41kg.
During operations at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex (PHPC), Onne, from May 28 to 30, NDLEA personnel, in collaboration with Customs and other security agencies, confiscated seven containers revealed to contain:
825,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup and Trodol, valued at ₦5.78 billion, along with 5.1 million pills of tapentadol (225mg), estimated at ₦3.57 billion.
The overall street value of the seized opioids amounts to ₦9.35 billion.
Kano–Maiduguri Road (May 30): NDLEA officials intercepted Abubakar Hussein (42) and Sahabi Adamu (53), who were found with $900,000 in suspected fake currency. The individuals and the cash have been referred to the proper authorities for further investigation.
Ngurore–Yola Road, Adamawa (May 27): NDLEA located 390 compressed blocks of cannabis weighing 275.3kg in an abandoned Toyota Sienna (Reg. No. YLA-408GG).
Ilorin, Kwara State (May 31): A known female drug trafficker, Alhaja Mutiat Abdul-Fatai, was arrested in the Oja Oba neighborhood, where various amounts of tramadol, flunitrazepam, and codeine-based syrup were seized.
As part of its ongoing War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, NDLEA conducted educational seminars in schools nationwide, including:
Government Day Senior Secondary School, Kwasarawa, Katsina
Corpus Christi College, Achi, Enugu
Epignosis Standard College, Onitsha, Anambra
Government Girls Secondary Schools in Utai (Kano) and Calabar (Cross River)
Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), Chairman/CEO of NDLEA, praised the officers and personnel at MAKIA, PHPC, Kano, Kwara, and Adamawa Commands for their effective operations during the week. He also commended all NDLEA commands across the country for effectively balancing strategies aimed at reducing both drug supply and demand.