A major drug trafficking syndicate operating at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) has been busted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), after its activities led to the wrongful detention of three Nigerian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.
The syndicate, led by 55-year-old kingpin Mohammed Ali Abubakar, alias Bello Karama, had planted illicit drugs in bags secretly tagged to the names of the unsuspecting pilgrims who were travelling for lesser hajj earlier this month.
The three victims — Mrs. Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, Mrs. Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu, and Mr. Abdulhamid Saddiq are still in detention in Jeddah after Saudi authorities intercepted the drug-laden bags.
At a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi revealed that swift investigations ordered by the agency’s Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), exposed a network of corrupt airport officials and handlers who worked hand-in-hand with the traffickers.
“Our findings showed that these bags were checked in against the names of the pilgrims without their knowledge or consent,” Babafemi said. “They were traced directly to Ali Abubakar Mohammed, the syndicate leader, who travelled on Egypt Air while his criminal luggage was placed on Ethiopian Airlines under the names of the complainants.”
Six suspects are now in custody, including the kingpin. Four of them — Abubakar, Abdulbasit Adamu, Murtala Akande Olalekan, and Celestina Emmanuel Yayock, have already been charged to court. The NDLEA said all have confessed.
Yayock admitted she received N100,000 to check in two of the drug-laden bags, while another suspect, Jazuli Kabir, confessed to handling two more for the same fee. Payment transfers linking the kingpin to his accomplices were also recovered.
The syndicate allegedly exploited its access through Skyway Aviation Handling Company staff to illegally tag the bags to the pilgrims.
For NDLEA, the next step is diplomatic. Babafemi disclosed that Marwa is set to meet officials of the Saudi General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC) at an international drug conference this week to present evidence proving the innocence of the detained Nigerians.
“Nigeria will not abandon its citizens,” Babafemi stressed. “The facts show they are victims of a criminal conspiracy. If need be, the Chairman is prepared to travel personally to Saudi Arabia to secure their release.”
The agency commended the Ministry of Aviation, FAAN, AVSEC, and the DSS for their collaboration, noting that interim measures have already been put in place at MAKIA to block similar abuses in the future.
NDLEA reaffirmed its zero-tolerance stance against drug traffickers while insisting that innocent citizens must not pay the price for crimes they did not commit.