The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested staff members of the Nigerian Skyway Aviation Handling Company Plc over their alleged role in planting illicit drugs in travellers’ luggage at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano State.
The agency disclosed that the suspects were part of a syndicate that implicated three innocent Nigerians, who are currently being detained in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, after completing their lesser hajj pilgrimage.
The NDLEA disclosed that a 55-year-old drug kingpin, Mohammed Ali Abubakar, also known as Bello Karama, and five other members of the syndicate had been taken into custody following investigations that linked them to the plot.
The development was announced at a press conference at the agency’s national headquarters in Abuja on Monday.
The briefing was addressed by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, alongside the Director of Assets and Financial Investigation, Abdul Ibrahim, and the Director of Prosecutions and Legal Services, Theresa Asuquo.
According to Babafemi, the case came to light after the NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (retd.), received petitions from three families whose relatives were detained in Saudi Arabia on drug trafficking allegations.
“The three Nigerian pilgrims, Maryam Abdullahi, Abdullahi Aminu, and Abdulhamid Saddiq, boarded Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940 from Kano to Jeddah via Addis Ababa on August 6, 2025.
“Unknown to them, six extra bags, three of which contained illicit drugs, were checked in against their names,” Babafemi explained.
He further revealed that one of the victims, Abdullahi, checked in only one bag weighing nine kilograms, which did not arrive with her at her destination.
“Her husband was only informed of the arrival of their luggage on August 16, a day before they departed from Jeddah. Following this, she was detained and remains in custody. The other two cases followed the same pattern,” the agency noted.
Babafemi added that investigations showed that the illicit bags were linked to Abubakar.
“All the bags were traced to one Ali Abubakar Mohammed, aka Bello Karama, who checked them into the Ethiopian Airlines flight on the same day the three complainants travelled.
“Interestingly, he boarded EgyptAir instead of Ethiopian Airlines, where his contaminated bags were tagged in the names of the complainants,” he said.
He added that the SAHCO workers aided the syndicate in tagging the bags without the victims’ knowledge.
“The bags illegally tagged against the complainants’ names are the ones intercepted in Saudi Arabia. For this reason, the three Nigerians were arrested and detained for crimes they did not know of,” Babafemi stated.
The NDLEA disclosed that six members of the syndicate were in custody, with four already charged in court.
According to the NDLEA, the suspects include Abubakar, Abdulbasit Adamu, Murtala Akande Olalekan, and Celestina Yayock.
“They have all made confessional statements. While Ali admitted bringing in seven bags, Celestina confessed to checking in two for a fee of N100,000.
“Another suspect, Jazuli Kabir, also confessed to checking in two bags for the same amount. We have receipts showing the transfer of N200,000 from Ali to Celestina, who then passed N100,000 to Jazuli,” Babafemi revealed.
He added that the agency was working with Saudi authorities to exonerate the detained Nigerians.
“The Chairman/Chief Executive of the agency is attending an international drug conference where he will meet delegates from the General Directorate of Narcotics Control of Saudi Arabia to present our findings. If necessary, he is prepared to travel to the Kingdom to personally pursue justice for our citizens,” he said.
Babafemi assured Nigerians that the NDLEA would not allow innocent citizens to suffer for crimes committed by criminal syndicates.
“While there are no sacred cows in our enforcement duties, we will never support the innocent being punished for crimes they did not commit,” he stressed.
The agency also commended the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, the Aviation Security Services, and the Department of State Services for their collaboration and interim measures at the Kano airport to prevent a recurrence.
The development comes after the arrest of a 50-year-old widow and fashion designer, Mrs Ifeoma Henrietta Ezewuike, who allegedly attempted to smuggle 1.3 kilograms of cocaine by faking a pregnancy.(Punch)
