Also intercepts Saudi- and Iran-bound drug couriers, seizes N9.3bn worth of opioids in Rivers
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered and dismantled a criminal syndicate that trafficked cocaine to Saudi Arabia using hajj pilgrims as drug couriers.
The arrests of three suspected kingpins in Kano followed an intelligence-led operation.
According to a statement by the Director, Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, The agency first arrested two Saudi-bound pilgrims, Ibrahim Umar Mustapha and Muhammad Siraj Shifado, on Monday, May 26, at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport. During screening for Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 940 to Jeddah, body scans revealed ingestion of illicit substances.
Both men were placed under excretion observation and expelled a total of 90 cocaine pellets weighing 1.04 kilograms.
Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of three alleged sponsors Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Muhammed Tijjani, and Muhammad Aji Shugaba on May 27 and 28 in Kano.
In a related development, NDLEA officers intercepted a 60-year-old businessman, Chinedu Leonard Okigbo, on May 28 during outbound clearance at Kano Airport for Qatar Airways flight QR1432 to Iran.
He excreted 65 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.41 kilograms.
Between May 28 and 30, NDLEA operatives at Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers State, alongside Customs and other agencies, seized 825,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup and trodol worth ₦5.77 billion, plus 5.1 million tablets of opioids (mainly tapentadol 225mg) valued at ₦3.57 billion.
The total street value of the seized opioids stood at ₦9.35 billion.
On May 30, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Kano–Maiduguri road intercepted two suspects — Abubakar Hussein, 42, and Sahabi Adamu, 53 — with $900,000 suspected to be counterfeit.
The case has been referred to the appropriate authorities for further investigation.
Earlier, on May 27, 390 compressed blocks of cannabis weighing 275.3kg were recovered from a parked Toyota Sienna along Ngurore–Yola road in Adamawa State.
On May 31, NDLEA officers arrested a notorious female drug dealer, Alhaja Mutiat Abdul-Fatai, at Oja Oba area, Ilorin, seizing various opioids including tramadol, flunitrazepam, and codeine-based syrup.
The agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign also continued with sensitization lectures delivered to students and staff of several secondary schools across Katsina, Enugu, Anambra, Kano, and Cross River states during the week.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the officers and men of MAKIA, PHPC, Kano, Kwara, and Adamawa Commands for their arrests and seizures, while commending all commands for maintaining a balance between drug supply reduction and demand reduction efforts.
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