…Businessman going to Iran for ingesting 155 cocaine wraps; intercepts N9.3billion worth of opioids in Rivers
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered and dismantled a syndicate that sponsors hajj pilgrims who also serve as couriers to move cocaine to Saudi Arabia during pilgrimage.
This followed the arrest of leaders of the cartel in Kano on Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th May 2025.The arrested kingpins: Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Muhammed Tijjani, and Muhammad Aji Shugaba on in Kano was a follow-up to the arrest of two pilgrims: Ibrahim Umar Mustapha and Muhammad Siraj Shifado at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano on Monday 26th May during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airline flight ET 940 to Jedda, Saudi Arabia.
According to NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advicacy, Femi Babafemi, the interdiction of the intending pilgrims at the NDLEA final screening point at the Kano airport was based on credible intelligence.
“When they were taken for scanning, the result confirmed ingestion of illicit substances. They were subsequently placed on excretion observation during which they excreted 45 wraps of cocaine each, bringing the total for both to 90 pellets with a total weight of 1.04kg.”He stated
“Investigation soon unraveled their sponsors as leaders of a notorious drug trafficking network, which specializes in trafficking illicit drugs to Saudi Arabia.
A swift follow-up operation was carried out, and the trio of Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Muhammed Tijjani, and Muhammad Aji Shugaba were arrested on Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th May 2025 in Kano.
”Babafemi added that NDLEA operatives at the Kano airport on Wednesday 28th May intercepted a 60-year-old businessman Chinedu Leonard Okigbo during the outward clearance of Qatar Airways flight QR1432 to Iran.
His body scan confirmed he ingested illicit substances as a result of which he was placed on excretion observation during which he excreted 65 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.41kg.
“At the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers state, no fewer than seven watch-listed containers were positioned for joint examination by NDLEA officers, men of Custom Service and other security agencies between Wednesday 28th and Friday 30th May, during which 825,200 bottles of codeine based syrup and trodol worth Five Billion Seven Hundred and Seventy Six Million Four Hundred Thousand Naira Only (N5,776,400,000) in street value were seized while a total of Five Million One Hundred Thousand (5,100,000) pills of opioids especially tapentadol 225mg worth Three Billion Five Hundred and Seventy Million Naira Only (N3,570,000,000) were recovered.
“This brings the combined street value of the opioids to Nine Billion Three Hundred and Forty-Six Million Four Hundred Thousand Naira Only (N9,346,400,000.00),” He added.
