The NDLEA recently
announced that it arrested Mohammed Ali Abubakar, a 55-year-old
alleged drug kingpin also known as Bello Karama, and five members of his
“syndicate” operating from the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.

The agency had said the suspects were apprehended following investigations
linking them to the shipment of illicit substances, which led to three
“innocent Nigerians” being detained in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The three victims — Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu, and
Abdulhamid Saddiq — boarded Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940 from Kano to Jeddah
via Addis Ababa on August 6, 2025.

According to the agency, they were unknowingly tagged with six extra bags,
three of which contained illicit drugs.

Giving an update during a press briefing on Wednesday, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA
spokesperson, said following a series of engagements, one of the three
Nigerians was released from custody on September 14, with the remaining two let
go the following day.

“As we speak, they will be arriving in Nigeria anytime shortly. We therefore
see this as an opportunity to express the executive officer’s happiness over
this development while commending his counterpart at the Saudi General
Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC) for upholding the essence of the
memorandum of understanding between NDLEA and GDNC on collaboration and
partnership,” he said.

“We would like to reiterate our commitment that Nigeria will never abandon
its citizens, especially when the past clearly shows that they are victims of
criminal conspiracies as established in this case.”

Babafemi assured the public of the agency’s unwavering commitment to fight
the scourge of substance abuse and trafficking in the country.

“Conversely, we will also not support the innocent being punished for crimes
they did not commit, especially in this case,” he said.

“In the words of Buba Marwa, our chairman and chief executive, the biggest
support of our efforts in this case came from President Bola Tinubu himself,
who is committed to ensuring that every Nigerian gets their desired respect and
fair treatment wherever they are across the world.

“And that is what has come to play in this case, that no Nigerian is
unjustly punished for crimes they know nothing about anywhere in the world.

“We equally appreciate the assistance provided by the honourable attorney
general of the federation and minister of justice, the honourable minister of
foreign affairs, and the honourable minister of aviation and aerospace
development, as well as the national security advisor, who were with us all the
way on this matter.”