Drug Kingpin, 5 Others Arrested as NDLEA Moves to Clear Innocent Pilgrims Detained in Saudi Arabia
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered a criminal syndicate operating at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, responsible for implicating three Nigerian pilgrims in drug trafficking in Saudi Arabia. The breakthrough has led to the arrest of a 55-year-old suspected drug kingpin, Mohammed Ali Abubakar, alias Bello Karama, and five members of his network.
The three Nigerians – Mrs. Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, Mrs. Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu, and Mr. Abdulhamid Saddiq – are currently in detention in Jeddah after illicit substances were found in luggage falsely tagged in their names during their lesser hajj pilgrimage earlier this month.
Speaking at a press briefing on Monday in Abuja, NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said the suspects were arrested after an urgent investigation ordered by the Agency’s Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), following complaints from the detainees’ families.
Findings revealed that members of the syndicate, in collaboration with staff of Skyway Aviation Handling Company, secretly tagged six bags containing drugs to the unsuspecting pilgrims during check-in for Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940 from Kano to Jeddah on August 6. Three of the bags were later intercepted by Saudi authorities.
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“All the bags were traced to Ali Abubakar Mohammed, the ringleader, who checked them in under the victims’ names, but instead travelled on Egypt Air with three other bags,” Babafemi disclosed. He added that the suspects, now in NDLEA custody, have confessed to their roles, with one accomplice admitting to receiving N100,000 to check in two of the bags.
The agency confirmed that four of the suspects, including Abubakar, have already been charged to court, while investigations continue. Evidence obtained by the NDLEA, including financial transfers used to facilitate the trafficking, is expected to form part of the prosecution.
Meanwhile, NDLEA has opened discussions with the General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC) in Saudi Arabia to secure the release of the detained Nigerians. Marwa, who is attending an international drug conference where Saudi officials will be present, is expected to present the findings and, if necessary, travel to the Kingdom to press Nigeria’s case.
Babafemi assured that the agency would not allow innocent citizens to suffer for crimes committed by criminal cartels. “Nigeria will never abandon its citizens, especially when the facts clearly show they are victims of criminal conspiracies,” he said.
The agency also expressed appreciation to the Ministry of Aviation, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Aviation Security Service, and the Department of State Services (DSS) for their collaboration, adding that interim measures have been approved at MAKIA to prevent such incidents in the future.
The arrests mark another major success in NDLEA’s ongoing war against drug trafficking, reinforcing its vow that while no offender is shielded, no innocent citizen will be left to unjust punishment.
By PRNigeria
