National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 55-year-old suspected drug kingpin, Mohammed Ali Abubakar, popularly known as Bello Karama, along with five members of his syndicate at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA).
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, who disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja alongside senior officials of the agency, said the suspects were behind the drug shipment that led to the wrongful detention of three Nigerians in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The investigation followed petitions from families of the detained pilgrims — Mrs. Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, Mrs. Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu, and Mr. Abdulhamid Saddiq — who were unknowingly linked to bags containing drugs checked in under their names by the syndicate.
According to NDLEA findings, Abubakar checked in the illicit bags the same day the pilgrims travelled but flew to Jeddah via a different airline. The contraband was later intercepted in Saudi Arabia, implicating the innocent Nigerians.
Those arrested include Mohammed Ali Abubakar, Abdulbasit Adamu, Murtala Akande Olalekan, and Celestina Emmanuel Yayock, with four of them already charged in court.
NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), assured that Nigeria would defend its citizens who fall victim to criminal conspiracies.
He also confirmed that he will meet a delegation from Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC) to present Nigeria’s findings.
Babafemi added that NDLEA worked closely with the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Aviation Security, and the Department of State Services (DSS). He said fresh security measures have now been approved at MAKIA to prevent future occurrences.
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