The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested staff members of the Nigerian Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) for allegedly planting illicit drugs in the luggage of unsuspecting travellers at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano State.
The suspects were said to be part of a syndicate that implicated three innocent Nigerian pilgrims now detained in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, after performing the lesser hajj.
At a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi revealed that a 55-year-old drug baron, Mohammed Ali Abubakar, also known as Bello Karama, and five others had been taken into custody.
He said four of the suspects had already been charged in court.
According to Babafemi, the case came to light after NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (retd.), received petitions from families of the detained pilgrims — Maryam Abdullahi, Abdullahi Aminu, and Abdulhamid Saddiq.
The three boarded an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Kano to Jeddah on August 6, 2025. Unknown to them, six additional bags, three of which contained illicit drugs, were checked in under their names.
“One of the victims checked in only one bag weighing nine kilograms, which did not arrive at her destination.
Instead, her details were used to tag illicit bags, leading to her detention in Saudi Arabia,” Babafemi explained.
He said investigations traced the bags to Abubakar, who checked them onto the Ethiopian Airlines flight but boarded a different airline himself.
NDLEA also established that SAHCO staff facilitated the fraudulent tagging of the bags.
The suspects, including Abubakar, Abdulbasit Adamu, Murtala Akande Olalekan, and Celestina Yayock, reportedly confessed during interrogation.
Babafemi disclosed that Celestina admitted to checking in two bags for ₦100,000, while another suspect, Jazuli Kabir, confessed to the same act for a similar fee.
Babafemi added that NDLEA was working closely with Saudi authorities to secure the release of the detained Nigerians. “The agency’s chairman is prepared to personally travel to the Kingdom to ensure justice for our citizens,” he said.
He stressed that while NDLEA would continue to clamp down on drug traffickers, it would never allow innocent Nigerians to suffer for crimes they did not commit.
The agency commended the Ministry of Aviation, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Aviation Security Services, and the Department of State Services for their collaboration in tightening security measures at Kano airport.