Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested two Saudi-bound pilgrims at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, after they were discovered to have ingested illicit substances.

The agency stated that the suspects were placed under excretion observation and subsequently expelled 45 wraps of cocaine each, totalling 90 pellets with a combined weight of 1.04 kilogrammes.

According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, “The interdiction of the intending pilgrims at the NDLEA’s final screening point was based on credible intelligence. Scans confirmed they had ingested illicit drugs. During observation, each excreted 45 wraps of cocaine.”

Babafemi added that a drug syndicate exploiting pilgrims as couriers to Saudi Arabia had been uncovered and dismantled. “Our investigation identified the sponsors as leaders of a notorious drug trafficking network. Swift follow-up operations led to the arrest of Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Muhammed Tijjani, and Muhammad Aji Shugaba on 27 and 28 May in Kano,” he said.

In a related development, NDLEA officers at Kano Airport also intercepted a 60-year-old businessman, Chinedu Leonard Okigbo, while he was boarding a Qatar Airways flight to Iran. A body scan confirmed he had ingested drugs. He was placed under observation and excreted 65 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.41kg.

Meanwhile, a major joint examination of seven watch-listed containers was conducted between 28 and 30 May at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers State. NDLEA, Nigeria Customs Service, and other security agencies discovered 825,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup and Trodol, valued at ₦5.7 billion, and 5.1 million tablets of opioids, mainly Tapentadol 225mg, worth ₦3.57 billion.

In another operation on 30 May along the Kano–Maiduguri road, two men – Abubakar Hussein (42) and Sahabi Adamu (53) – were caught with $900,000 in suspected counterfeit cash. The case has been handed over to the appropriate agency for further investigation.

In Adamawa State, operatives seized 390 compressed blocks of skunk cannabis weighing 275.3kg from an abandoned Toyota Sienna vehicle along the Ngurore–Yola road on 27 May. Also, on 31 May in Ilorin, Kwara State, a notorious female drug dealer, Alhaja Mutiat Abdul-Fatai, was arrested in the Oja Oba area. Various quantities of opioids including Tramadol, Flunitrazepam, and codeine-based syrup were recovered from her premises.