THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 55-year-old alleged drug kingpin, Mohammed Ali Abubakar, alias Bello Karama, and five members of his ‘syndicate’ operating at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano.
They were arrested after they were linked to a drug trafficking scheme that left three innocent Nigerian pilgrims detained in Saudi Arabia.
The NDLEA disclosed this on Monday, August 25, at a press conference held at its headquarters in Abuja.
Addressing journalists, the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the three victims — Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu, and Abdulhamid Saddiq — were wrongly implicated after illicit substances were secretly tagged to their names on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Kano to Jeddah on August 6, 2025.
“Investigations revealed that the bags containing illicit drug substances intercepted in Saudi Arabia were checked in against the complainants’ names by members of a criminal syndicate operating in Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport without their knowledge,” NDLEA said.
According to the agency, Abdullahi, while embarking on the flight, only checked in one luggage weighing nine kilogrammes.
The NDLEA said the bag never arrived with her in Jeddah but was later delivered 10 days after, yet she was detained alongside two others because syndicate-linked bags tagged to their names were found to contain illicit drugs.
The agency said it traced the operation to Karama, the suspected kingpin, who allegedly checked in seven bags on the same day but boarded a different airline, Egypt Air, to Jeddah.
“All the bags were traced to one Ali Abubakar Mohammed (aka Bello Karama), the leader of the syndicate. Interestingly, he travelled to Jeddah on Egypt Air rather than Ethiopian Airlines, even though his contaminated bags were checked in on the latter under the names of the three innocent pilgrims,” the anti-graft agency said.
According to the NDLEA, six suspects are already in its custody, with four charged to court and awaiting arraignment. Apart from Karama, other suspects include Abdulbasit Adamu, Murtala Akande Olalekan, and Celestina Emmanuel Yayock.
“They have all made confessional statements. While Ali admitted bringing in seven luggage, Celestina confessed to checking in two of them for a fee of ₦100,000, and another suspect, Jazuli Kabir, admitted checking in two more bags for ₦100,000,” NDLEA added.
Investigators also recovered receipts showing money transfers between the syndicate members.
The agency said its chairman, Mohamed Buba Marwa, has opened discussions with Saudi authorities to secure the release of the innocent Nigerians.
“He intends to present our findings and seek their cooperation. If required, he is prepared to travel to Saudi Arabia personally to pursue this matter to its conclusion.”
The agency stressed that “Nigeria will never abandon its citizens, especially when the facts clearly show that they are victims of criminal conspiracies.”
The NDLEA commended the Ministry of Aviation, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Aviation Security (AVSEC), and the State Security Service (SSS) for their collaboration, adding that interim measures had been introduced at the Kano Airport to block similar security breaches in the future.
A reporter with the ICIR
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