The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 55-year-old drug kingpin, Mohammed Abubakar, popularly known as Bello Karama, and five members of his syndicate operating at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA).
The suspects were arrested over a drug trafficking conspiracy that led to the arrest of three unsuspecting Nigerian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.
The development was disclosed on Monday at a press conference in Abuja by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, alongside senior officials of the agency.
The NDLEA said the syndicate masterminded the shipment of illicit substances through Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940, which departed Kano for Jeddah via Addis-Ababa on August 6, 2025.
The traffickers allegedly tagged six additional bags containing drugs to three Nigerian pilgrims without their knowledge.
The victims, Mrs. Maryam Abdullahi, Mrs. Abdullahi Aminu, and Mr. Abdulhamid Saddiq, were detained in Jeddah after Saudi authorities discovered three of the wrongly tagged bags contained illicit substances.
Babafemi explained that Mrs. Abdullahi, for example, checked in only one 9kg bag, which did not arrive in Jeddah with her.
Instead, her luggage was suspiciously delivered 10 days later, on August 16, a day before her scheduled return to Nigeria.
She was subsequently arrested and remains in detention alongside the other two victims.
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“It is clear from our investigation that the three detained Nigerians are victims of circumstance, framed by a criminal syndicate operating at MAKIA.
The bags traced to the suspects were tagged to the victims’ names without their knowledge or consent,” Babafemi stated.
The NDLEA revealed that the mastermind, Ali Mohammed (aka Bello Karama), checked in seven bags under the names of the innocent pilgrims but flew to Jeddah on a different airline, Egypt Air.
His accomplices, including Celestina Yayock, confessed to checking in two of the bags for a fee of ₦100,000, while another suspect, Jazuli Kabir, admitted to checking in two bags for the same amount.
The agency said six members of the gang are already in custody, with four charged in court awaiting arraignment.
Evidence, including bank transfers and confessional statements, directly links the suspects to the criminal operation.
