…kingpin, five others in custody as Marwa engages Saudi authorities over pilgrims’ innocence
By Nkechi Eze
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a notorious drug kingpin, Mohammed Ali Abubakar, also known as Bello Karama, and five members of his syndicate operating at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, after uncovering their role in a drug trafficking plot that implicated three innocent Nigerian pilgrims currently detained in Saudi Arabia.
The breakthrough was announced at a press conference in Abuja on Monday, 25th August 2025, addressed by the Agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, alongside the Director of Assets and Financial Investigation, Dr. Abdul Ibrahim, and the Director of Prosecution and Legal Services, Theresa Asuquo.
Babafemi explained that NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), ordered a full-scale investigation after receiving complaints from the families of three Nigerian pilgrims detained in Jeddah Mrs. Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, Mrs. Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu, and Mr. Abdulhamid Saddiq, who were accused of trafficking illicit substances into Saudi Arabia despite having no prior links to drug crime.
Investigations revealed that on August 6, 2025, the trio, who boarded Ethiopian Airline flight ET940 from Kano to Jeddah via Addis Ababa, had six additional bags secretly checked in against their names by members of a criminal syndicate. Three of those bags were later found to contain illicit drugs in Jeddah.
“The bags containing illicit substances were traced directly to Ali Abubakar Mohammed, alias Bello Karama, the syndicate leader, who checked them in at MAKIA through compromised staff of the Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCOL). He, however, boarded Egypt Air instead of Ethiopian Airline to evade suspicion,” Babafemi disclosed.
According to NDLEA, six members of the syndicate are now in custody, with four charged to court awaiting arraignment. Among them are Ali Abubakar Mohammed (Bello Karama), Abdulbasit Adamu, Murtala Akande Olalekan, and Celestina Emmanuel Yayock. Celestina confessed to checking in two bags for a fee of ₦100,000, while another accomplice, Jazuli Kabir, admitted collecting the same amount to check in two more bags. Financial transfers corroborating these confessions were also recovered by investigators.
Babafemi stressed that the three Nigerians detained in Saudi Arabia were “victims of circumstance, implicated by the activities of a criminal syndicate operating within the airport,” adding that the Agency is already engaging Saudi authorities to ensure their release.
“As a result, our Chairman, Brigadier General Marwa, who is attending an international drug conference, is scheduled to meet with officials of the General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC) in Saudi Arabia to present our findings and push for the exoneration of these innocent pilgrims. If necessary, he is prepared to travel to Saudi Arabia personally to pursue the case to its conclusion,” Babafemi said.
The NDLEA further assured that while its commitment to combat drug trafficking remains uncompromising, it will never allow innocent Nigerians to suffer unjustly. The Agency also commended the Ministry of Aviation, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Aviation Security (AVSEC), and the Department of State Services (DSS) for their swift collaboration and the interim measures put in place at MAKIA to prevent a recurrence.
“This case reinforces our message that there are no sacred cows in the fight against drugs, but equally, the innocent must never be punished for crimes they did not commit,” Babafemi concluded.
