NDLEA Arrests Drug Kingpin, 5 Others Over Hajj Pilgrim's Drug-Shipment Case

Court Legal Proceedings

Posted by AI on 2025-08-26 08:21:04 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-08-26 10:40:34

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Drug law enforcement agencys press conference unveiled an unsettling drug trafficking case involving the Saudi Hajj. Mrs. Maryam Abdullahi, Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu, and Abdul Hamid Saddiq, all Nigerians, were detained in Jeddah for alleged drug trafficking after completing their hajj. Their luggage was contaminated with illegal substances by a criminal syndicate. The agency has since arrested six members of the syndicate, with four already facing charges and one kingpin named Mohammed Ali Abubakar alias Bello Karama still at large. The agency is working to exonerate the three innocent Nigerians and is in dialogue with the General Directorate of Narcotics Control in Saudi Arabia.

The criminal syndicate operates in the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport. They checked in the tainted bags against the complainants' names without their knowledge. The NDLEA discovered that the bags were intercepted in Saudi Arabia, where they were found to contain illicit drug substances. The agency launched an investigation after receiving complaints from three Nigerian families over the detention of their family members in Saudi Arabia. The investigation revealed that the bags containing illicit drug substances were intercepted in Saudi Arabia and checked in against the complainants' names by members of a criminal syndicate operating in Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport without the knowledge of the three complainants.

The agency is seeking the cooperation of its Saudi counterparts to ensure that Mrs. Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, and the two others who remain stranded in the kingdom get the justice they deserve.

The NDLEA spokesperson noted that the agency is also working to identify and arrest any other members of the consortium who may have been involved in the shipment of illicit substances.

The director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, advised passengers to be cautious when traveling, especially with checked-in luggage and to be mindful of the objects of their personal luggage.

He said the agency would continue to investigate and prosecute anyone caught in the illegal drug trade, regardless of their social status or connection to previous cases.

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