National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended a 55-year-old man a drug trafficking mastermind and five accomplices operating from Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA).
They were arrested in connection with the wrongful detention of three Nigerian pilgrims in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia after NDLEA undertook a thorough investigation and uncovered their tricks.
The arrests, announced during a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, August 25, 2025, followed a swift investigation triggered by complaints from the families of the detained pilgrims.
NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, alongside Dr. Abdul Ibrahim, Director of Assets and Financial Investigation, and Mrs. Theresa Asuquo, Director of Prosecution and Legal Services, detailed the operation.
“We acted promptly after the families reached out to our Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd.), reporting the unjust detention of their loved ones,” Babafemi said.
The detained pilgrims—Mrs. Maryam Abdullahi, Mrs. Abdullahi Aminu, and Mr. Abdulhamid Saddiq—were held in Jeddah after traveling on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940 from Kano to Jeddah via Addis Ababa on August 6, 2025. Unknown to them, six additional bags, three containing illicit drugs, were tagged to their names by a criminal syndicate operating at MAKIA.
“Mrs. Abdullahi checked in a single 9kg bag, but it was delayed and delivered only on August 16, just before her detention,” Babafemi explained, noting a similar pattern for the other pilgrims.
NDLEA’s investigation traced the illicit bags to the syndicate’s leader, who checked them in on August 6 and traveled to Jeddah via Egypt Air with three additional bags.
Babafemi revealed that staff from Skyway Aviation Handling Company were complicit in the scheme.
“The syndicate leader confessed to handling seven bags, while two members admitted to checking in bags for N100,000 each,” he stated, adding that financial receipts confirmed transfers of N200,000 from the leader to the accomplices.
The six suspects are currently in NDLEA custody, with four already charged and awaiting court arraignment. Babafemi emphasized the agency’s commitment to justice, saying, “We will not allow innocent Nigerians to suffer for crimes they didn’t commit.”
The NDLEA is collaborating with Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC) to secure the pilgrims’ release.
“Chairman Marwa plans to discuss this case at an upcoming international drug conference and, if needed, travel to Saudi Arabia to ensure justice,” Babafemi added.
The agency commended the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Aviation Security (AVSEC), and the Department of State Services (DSS) for their supports in implementing measures to prevent future incidents at MAKIA.
“Our fight against drug trafficking is relentless, but we are equally committed to protecting the innocent,” Babafemi concluded.