NDLEA Busts Drug Cartel Using Hajj Pilgrims as Cocaine Couriers, Seizes N9.3bn Worth of Narcotics Nationwide
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NDLEA Busts Drug Cartel Using Hajj Pilgrims as Cocaine Couriers, Seizes N9.3bn Worth of Narcotics Nationwide
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered a drug trafficking syndicate that used Hajj pilgrims as mules to smuggle cocaine to Saudi Arabia.
The agency confirmed that it dismantled the network following the arrest of the kingpins in Kano—Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Muhammad Tijjani and Muhammad Aji Shugaba—on May 27 and 28, 2025.
The breakthrough came after the arrest of two pilgrims, Ibrahim Umar Mustapha and Muhammad Siraj Shifado, on May 26 at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport during the final clearance for Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 940 to Jeddah.
NDLEA revealed that the duo had ingested illicit substances and were detained for observation.
“When the two pilgrims were scanned, results confirmed ingestion of illicit substances. They were placed under excretion observation, during which they expelled 45 wraps of cocaine each, totalling 90 pellets with a combined weight of 1.04kg,” the agency stated.
Further investigation linked the smuggling attempt to the arrested cartel leaders, known to be operating a cocaine pipeline into Saudi Arabia. Their arrest was swift, following credible intelligence.
In a related operation, NDLEA officers at the Kano airport intercepted a 60-year-old businessman, Chinedu Leonard Okigbo, en route to Iran via Qatar Airways flight QR1432. A body scan confirmed drug ingestion, and under surveillance, he excreted 65 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.41kg.
The agency also recorded a massive drug bust at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers State. From May 28 to 30, a coordinated effort with Customs and other security agencies led to the seizure of:
825,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup and trodol valued at ₦5.7 billion
5.1 million opioid pills (including tapentadol 225mg) worth ₦3.5 billion
This brings the total street value of recovered opioids to ₦9.3 billion.
On May 30, operatives patrolling the Kano–Maiduguri road intercepted two suspects—Abubakar Hussein (42) and Sahabi Adamu (53)—with $900,000 in suspected counterfeit currency. Both men are to be handed over to the appropriate agency for further investigation.
In Adamawa State, on May 27, officers recovered 390 compressed blocks of skunk (a potent strain of cannabis) weighing 275.3kg from an abandoned Toyota Sienna along the Ngurore–Yola road.
In another successful operation, NDLEA operatives arrested a notorious female drug dealer, Alhaja Mutiat Abdul-Fatai in the Oja Oba area of Ilorin, Kwara State, on May 31. Seized from her were various quantities of tramadol, flunitrazepam and codeine-based syrup.
These recent crackdowns highlight the agency’s continued commitment to dismantling drug networks across Nigeria and preventing the use of religious pilgrims as drug couriers.
