NDLEA Uncovers Pilgrimage Drug Syndicate in Kano

Drug syndicates that exploited one of Islam’s most sacred journeys — the Hajj pilgrimage — by turning unsuspecting pilgrims into international drug couriers, has been dismantled by the Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) .

The cartel’s masterminds, Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Tijjani, and Muhammad Aji Shugaba, were arrested in Kano on May 27 and 28, after two pilgrims, Ibrahim Mustapha and Muhammad Shifado, were caught at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport swallowing 90 wraps of cocaine, weighing over a kilogram.

NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi confirmed:

“An investigation soon unravelled their sponsors as leaders of a notorious drug trafficking network, which specialises 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 May 27 and 28, 2025 in Kano,” he said.

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But the Kano arrests were only the tip of the iceberg. A separate bust saw businessman Chinedu Leonard Okigbo excrete 65 wraps of cocaine before his Qatar Airways flight to Iran. And at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, NDLEA teams seized over ₦9 billion worth of codeine syrup and tapentadol pills hidden in seven suspicious containers.

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Adding to the week’s haul, two suspects were caught along Kano-Maiduguri Road with $900,000 in suspected counterfeit currency, while in Adamawa, 390 blocks of skunk cannabis were found abandoned in a vehicle.

Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), NDLEA chairman, commended the operatives for their commitment to the country’s safety and security.

This crackdown comes as Saudi authorities have tightened drug trafficking penalties, including the death penalty for smugglers.