NDLEA Arrests Alleged Drug Kingpin, 5 Others Over Pilgrims Framed in Saudi for Drug Trafficking

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 55-year-old suspected drug kingpin, Mohammed Abubakar, also known as Bello Karama, along with five members of his syndicate, for allegedly planting drugs in passengers’ luggage at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano.

NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja, stating that the arrests were linked to a criminal plot that led to the detention of three innocent Nigerian pilgrims in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on allegations of drug trafficking.

Babafemi said the suspects are now in custody and under investigation.

The NDLEA launched an investigation after receiving petitions from the families of Mrs. Maryam Abdullahi, Mrs. Abdullahi Aminu, and Mr. Abdulhamid Saddiq—three Nigerian pilgrims who were detained in Saudi Arabia after completing their lesser hajj.

According to Babafemi, the three boarded Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940 from Kano on August 6, 2025, en route to Jeddah via Addis Ababa. They were unknowingly implicated in drug trafficking after six additional bags—three of which contained illicit substances—were secretly tagged to their names by the syndicate.

“Mrs. Abdullahi, for instance, checked in just one 9kg bag on her departure, which didn’t arrive at her destination. Her husband was later informed on August 16—just one day before her scheduled return on August 17—that her luggage had arrived. She was then detained in Jeddah and remains in custody to date,” Babafemi explained.

The NDLEA’s findings revealed that the illicit bags were checked in by members of the syndicate using the names of the three unsuspecting passengers without their knowledge or consent. The bags were traced to Mohammed Abubakar (aka Bello Karama), who also traveled to Jeddah the same day but via Egypt Air instead of Ethiopian Airlines, the airline he used to smuggle the contraband under others’ names.

The investigation also uncovered that staff of Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO), working at MAKIA and involved in the criminal ring, played a key role in tagging the illegal bags to the names of the three pilgrims.

“The bags illegally tagged against the complainants’ names are the ones intercepted in Saudi Arabia and found to contain the illicit drug substances,” Babafemi stated.

The agency condemned the actions of the syndicate and emphasized the injustice faced by the detained pilgrims, stating:
“For the above reasons, the three complainants were arrested and detained for crimes they had no knowledge of. In light of the evidence gathered during our investigation, we are working to clear their names and ensure justice is served.”

The NDLEA said it will continue to work with relevant authorities to secure the release of the innocent Nigerians and ensure that those behind the criminal scheme are fully prosecuted.