…nabs pilgrims, Iran-bound trader with cocaine; seizes N9.3bn opioids in Rivers
By Nkechi Eze
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a major drug trafficking syndicate that specializes in sponsoring hajj pilgrims to smuggle cocaine to Saudi Arabia, following the arrest of the cartel’s ringleaders in Kano. This significant breakthrough is part of a string of nationwide operations that also led to the seizure of multi-billion naira worth of opioids, counterfeit foreign currency, and other illicit substances.
According to an official signed statement made available to Newspeg by the Director, Media & Advocacy of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, the arrest of the kingpins Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Muhammed Tijjani, and Muhammad Aji Shugaba, took place on Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th May 2025 in Kano.
Their apprehension followed the earlier arrest of two pilgrims, Ibrahim Umar Mustapha and Muhammad Siraj Shifado, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, on Monday 26th May during outward clearance for an Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 940 bound for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The NDLEA revealed that credible intelligence had prompted the interdiction of the two suspects at the agency’s final screening point at the airport. Subsequent scanning confirmed that both individuals had ingested illicit substances. They were placed on excretion observation and later expelled 45 wraps of cocaine each, amounting to a total of 90 pellets with a combined weight of 1.04 kilograms.
Further investigation linked the arrested pilgrims to a notorious drug trafficking network operating out of Kano. The swift follow-up operation led to the capture of the syndicate’s three ringleaders who were identified as the sponsors of the drug mules.
In another major interception at the same airport on Wednesday 28th May, NDLEA operatives arrested a 60-year-old businessman, Chinedu Leonard Okigbo, during outward clearance for Qatar Airways flight QR1432 to Iran. A body scan confirmed that he had ingested illicit substances. He was subsequently placed on excretion watch and expelled 65 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.41 kilograms.
In the southern part of the country, a massive seizure took place at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers State. Between Wednesday 28th and Friday 30th May, NDLEA officers, in collaboration with men of the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, examined seven containers that had been flagged for suspicion. The joint operation resulted in the recovery of 825,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup and trodol with a total street value of ₦5,776,400,000. Additionally, 5,100,000 pills of opioids, predominantly Tapentadol 225mg, worth ₦3,570,000,000 were also seized. This brings the total street value of the intercepted opioids to an astonishing ₦9,346,400,000.
Meanwhile, in another operation in Kano, NDLEA operatives conducting patrols along the Kano–Maiduguri road on Friday 30th May intercepted two suspects, Abubakar Hussein, aged 42, and Sahabi Adamu, aged 53, found in possession of $900,000 in cash suspected to be counterfeit. The suspects and the illicit currency are to be handed over to the appropriate authorities for further investigation.
In the northeast, a parked Toyota Sienna vehicle with registration number YLA-408GG was discovered along the Ngurore, Yola road in Adamawa State on Tuesday 27th May. A total of 390 compressed blocks of skunk cannabis weighing 275.3 kilograms were recovered from the abandoned vehicle.
Elsewhere in the North Central region, NDLEA operatives in Kwara State on Saturday 31st May apprehended a notorious female drug trafficker, Alhaja Mutiat Abdul-Fatai. She was arrested at the Oja Oba area of Ilorin, where several quantities of tramadol, flunitrazepam, and codeine-based syrup were seized from her residence.
In furtherance of its national advocacy campaign under the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, NDLEA commands across the federation continued sensitization programmes during the week. Notable among them were lectures delivered at Government Day Senior Secondary School, Kwasarawa, Katsina; Corpus Christi College, Achi, Enugu; Epignosis Standard College, Onitsha, Anambra; Government Girls Secondary School, Utai in Wudil LGA, Kano; and Government Girls Secondary School, Calabar, Cross River State, among others.
While commending the efforts of the agency’s personnel at MAKIA, PHPC, Kano, Kwara, and Adamawa commands, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retired), praised the collective commitment to sustaining momentum in both drug supply reduction and demand reduction strategies. He emphasized the importance of such balanced operations in the ongoing fight against drug trafficking and abuse nationwide.
