The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered how a criminal syndicate at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, planted illicit drug-laden luggage on three unsuspecting Nigerian pilgrims, leading to their arrest and continued detention in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The Agency said its investigation has established that the detained pilgrims—Mrs. Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, Mrs. Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu, and Mr. Abdulhamid Saddiq—are victims of a trafficking conspiracy orchestrated by a syndicate led by a 55-year-old man, Mohammed Ali Abubakar alias Bello Karama, now in NDLEA custody.
The findings were presented on Monday, August 25, 2025, at the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja during a press briefing by the Agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, alongside the Director of Assets and Financial Investigation, Dr. Abdul Ibrahim, and the Director of Prosecution and Legal Services, Theresa Asuquo.
According to the Agency, the three pilgrims, who travelled on August 6 via Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940 from Kano to Jeddah via Addis-Ababa, were each tagged with extra bags without their knowledge. Three of those bags were later found to contain illicit substances by Saudi authorities.
“Mrs. Maryam Hussain Abdullahi while embarking on this flight, only checked in one luggage weighing 9 kilograms… Following this allegation, she was detained in Jeddah and is still in detention till date. The case of the other two persons followed the same pattern and were reported to the Agency shortly after Maryam Hussain’s complaint,” Babafemi said.
The NDLEA disclosed that the incriminating bags were fraudulently checked in by members of staff of the Skyway Aviation Handling Company, who are also part of the syndicate. “The bags were traced to one Ali Abubakar Mohammed (aka Bello Karama), the leader of the syndicate… interestingly, he travelled to Jeddah on the same date aboard Egypt Air rather than Ethiopian Airline where he had planted the contaminated bags against the pilgrims’ names,” Babafemi explained.
The Agency confirmed that six members of the syndicate are now in custody, with four—Ali Abubakar Mohammed, Abdulbasit Adamu, Murtala Akande Olalekan, and Celestina Emmanuel Yayock—already charged to court. The suspects reportedly confessed to their roles in the crime, with Celestina admitting to checking in two of the bags for a fee of ₦100,000, while another suspect, Jazuli Kabir, acknowledged receiving a similar payment for the same task.
With evidence pointing to the innocence of the detained Nigerians, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), is engaging Saudi authorities to secure their release.
“The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Agency is presently on his way to attend an International Drug Conference which will be attended by a delegation from the General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC). He intends to meet them one on one, to present our findings and seek the cooperation of our Saudi counterparts in ensuring that Mrs. Maryam Hussain Abdullahi and the two others get the justice they deserve,” Babafemi said.
The NDLEA reiterated its commitment to ensuring that innocent Nigerians are not wrongfully punished. “While there are no sacred cows in our enforcement duties… it will not support the innocent being punished for crimes they did not commit,” Babafemi stressed.
The Agency also expressed appreciation to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, the Managing Director of FAAN, the Aviation Security Service (AVSEC), and the DSS for their collaboration and for introducing interim security measures at MAKIA to prevent a recurrence of such incidents.
