NDLEA Arrests Drug Kingpin, Five Others in Kano Over Framing of Nigerian Pilgrims Detained in Saudi Arabia
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a notorious drug kingpin, Mohammed Ali Abubakar, popularly known as Bello Karama, along with five members of his criminal syndicate operating at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano.
The syndicate is accused of orchestrating the trafficking of illicit substances that led to the wrongful detention of three innocent Nigerian pilgrims in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The development was disclosed during a press conference at the NDLEA National Headquarters in Abuja on Monday by the Agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, who was joined by 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 syndicate’s operations came to light after families of three Nigerians – Mrs Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, Mrs Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu, and Mr Abdulhamid Saddiq – reported their detention in Saudi Arabia following their lesser hajj pilgrimage.
The trio, who travelled aboard Ethiopian Airline flight ET940 from Kano to Jeddah via Addis-Ababa on 6th August 2025, were accused of trafficking six pieces of luggage, three of which were later found to contain illicit drugs.
Investigations revealed that the pilgrims had no knowledge of the extra luggage. NDLEA established that members of the syndicate, working in collaboration with staff of the Skyway Aviation Handling Company at MAKIA, secretly tagged and checked in the drug-laden bags under the names of the unsuspecting pilgrims.
“All the bags were traced to one Ali Abubakar Mohammed, also known as Bello Karama, who checked them in under Ethiopian Airline, while he himself travelled to Jeddah on Egypt Air the same day,” the Agency said.
The detained pilgrims, who only travelled with their personal belongings, were arrested in Saudi Arabia after the illicit consignments were intercepted. One of them, Mrs Maryam Hussain, had checked in a single 9kg bag which failed to arrive with her on 6th August, only to be delivered to her husband ten days later.
Six members of the syndicate are currently in NDLEA custody. Four of them – Ali Abubakar Mohammed, Abdulbasit Adamu, Murtala Akande Olalekan, and Celestina Emmanuel Yayock – have been charged to court and are awaiting arraignment.
The Agency confirmed that all suspects have made confessional statements. Celestina admitted to checking in two of the bags for a fee of N100,000, while another suspect, Jazuli Kabir, confessed to doing the same for the same amount. Evidence of monetary transfers linking the syndicate members was also presented.
In a move to secure the release of the detained pilgrims, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), is scheduled to meet with officials of the General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC) of Saudi Arabia at an upcoming International Drug Conference.
He is expected to present Nigeria’s investigative findings to prove the innocence of the detained pilgrims.
“The NDLEA will never allow innocent Nigerians to suffer unjustly for crimes they did not commit,” Babafemi assured. “Our findings clearly show that Mrs Maryam Hussain Abdullahi and the two others are victims of a criminal conspiracy.
The CCEO is committed to ensuring they get the justice they deserve, even if it requires a personal trip to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
The Agency also expressed gratitude to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Aviation Security (AVSEC), and the Department of State Services (DSS) for their collaboration and interim measures at MAKIA to forestall similar incidents in the future.
Reiterating its commitment to tackling substance abuse and drug trafficking, NDLEA stressed that while it would continue to pursue and prosecute high-profile offenders, it would not allow innocent people to be punished due to the activities of criminal syndicates.
