25.8.2025
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said its agents have arrested six members of a drug gang at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano.
According to the NDLEA the syndicate planted narcotics filled luggage on three unsuspecting Nigerian pilgrims, leading to their arrest and continued detention in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
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.
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,” Femi Babafemi NDLEA spokesman said.
The Drug gang at Kano Airport busted by the NDLEA.