Connect with us

Crime

PHOTOS: NDLEA Detain Drug Kingpin, Others Over Arrest Of Three Nigerians In Saudi Arabia

Published

on

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 55-year-old drug kingpin Mohammed Ali Abubakar alias Bello Karama and five members of a syndicate operating at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano State.

It was reports that they were taken into custody following the discovery that they are behind the shipment of illicit substances for which three innocent Nigerians who went on lesser hajj pilgrimage to the holy land were being detained in Jeddah for alleged drug trafficking.

This was disclosed at a press conference addressed by the Agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi along with the Director of Assets and Financial Investigation, Dr. Abdul Ibrahim and Director of Prosecution and Legal Services, Theresa Asuquo, at the NDLEA National Headquarters in Abuja on Monday 25th August 2025.

Explaining how the syndicate implicated three unsuspecting pilgrims in drug trafficking allegations in Saudi, the NDLEA said following receipt of complaints by its Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) from three Nigerian families over the detention of their family members in Saudi Arabia after the completion of their lesser hajj pilgrimage on an allegation of trafficking in illicit substances into Saudi Arabia, an investigation was launched to unravel what happened.

The Agency said the three Nigerians detained in Saudi: Mrs. Maryam Hussain Abdullahi; Mrs. Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu; and Mr. Abdulhamid Saddiq boarded an Ethiopian Airline flight ET940 which departed Kano on 6th August 2025 to Jeddah enroute Addis-Ababa were unfortunate to be tagged with six additional bags not belonging to them, three of which were found to contain illicit drugs.

See also  Why Nigeria Police must rethink war on dissent

“Mrs. Maryam Hussain Abdullahi while embarking on this flight, only checked in one luggage weighing 9 kilograms on the 6th day of August, 2025 which incidentally did not arrive with her to her destination. Her husband was only informed of the arrival of their luggage on 16th August, a day before the date of their departure from Jeddah which was to be on the 17th day of August, 2025. Following this allegation, she was detained in Jeddah and is still in detention till date. The case of the other two persons followed the same pattern and were reported to the Agency shortly after Maryam Hussain’s complaint”, the Agency stated.

NDLEA stated that its swift investigation revealed that “the bags containing illicit drug substances intercepted in Saudi Arabia were checked in against the complainants’ names by members of a criminal syndicate operating in Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport without the knowledge of the three complainants.

“All the bags were traced to one Ali Abubakar Mohammed (aka Bello Karama), the leader of the syndicate who checked them into the Ethiopian Airline on the 6th day of August 2025, the same day the three complainants travelled on board the same airline from Kano enroute Addis-Ababa to Jeddah.

“It is interesting to note that the said Ali Abubakar Mohammed who also travelled to Jeddah on the same date boarded Egypt Air rather than Ethiopian Airline where he checked in his contaminated bags.

“The bags were tagged and checked in by members of staff of Skyway Aviation Handling Company who are also members of the criminal syndicate, to the names of the three complainants secretly and without their knowledge or consent. The bags illegally tagged against the complainants’ names are the ones intercepted in Saudi Arabia and found to contain the illicit drug substances.

See also  PHOTOS: EFCC arraigns three foreigners over alleged N12b oil theft in Lagos

“For the above reasons, the three complainants were arrested and detained for crimes they had no knowledge of. In the light of the forgoing, and the evidence gathered by the Agency in the course of our investigation, it is clear that Mrs. Maryam Abdullahi and two others who are being detained in Saudi are victims of circumstance, implicated by the activities of a criminal syndicate operating at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.”

The Agency said six members of the syndicate are already in its custody with four already charged to court awaiting arraignment including Ali Abubakar Mohammed (aka Bello Karama); Abdulbasit Adamu, Murtala Akande Olalekan and Celestina Emmanuel Yayock.

NDLEA said: “They have all made confessional statements. While Ali had admitted bringing in seven luggage, Celestina confessed checking in two of them for a fee of N100,000 and another suspect Jazuli Kabir who checked in two other bags admitted collecting N100,000 for the dirty job, while Ali travelled with the other three bags on Egypt Air. We have the receipts for the transfer of N200,000 from Ali to Celestina who in turn transferred N100,000 to Jazuli.”

It said based on the outcome of its investigations it is spearheading a dialogue with the authority of the General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC) in Saudi Arabia to see that the three innocent Nigerians are exonerated.

“As a result, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Agency is presently on his way to attend an International Drug Conference which will be attended by a delegation from the General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC), who he intends to meet one on one, to present our findings and seek the cooperation of our Saudi counterparts in ensuring that Mrs. Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, and the two others who remain stranded in the Kingdom, get the justice they deserve. If required, the CCEO is also prepared to travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia personally to pursue this matter to its conclusion”, Babafemi stated.

See also  PHOTOS: Police arrest three girls who ass@ulted and str!pped Bayelsa varsity student in viral video

He assured that Nigeria will never abandon its citizens, especially when the facts clearly show that they are victims of criminal conspiracies.

The Agency assured the public of its commitment to fight the scourge of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in the country.

It added that “while there are no sacred cows in our enforcement duties which can be attested to by the number of high-profile arrests, seizures, convictions and forfeitures recorded, it will not support the innocent being punished for crimes they did not commit.

“While investigations continue, the CCEO will like to appreciate the Hon. Min of Aviation and Aerospace Development, the Managing Director of FAAN, the AVSEC and the DSS for their collaboration on this case and for the interim measures that have been approved in MAKIA to prevent a reoccurrence of this type of situation.”

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

TUMBLR

INSTAGRAM

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Crime

Four rescued, one arrested for organ harvesting in Nasarawa

Published

on

The Nasarawa State Police Command has arrested a 40-year-old man, Maro Ebojoh, for his alleged involvement in organ harvesting in the state.

The state Commissioner of Police, Shetima Mohammed, made the disclosure during a press briefing at the command’s headquarters on Tuesday in Lafia, the state capital.

According to him, a distress call was received from the Alhaji Yahaya Sabo Motor Park, Bukan Sidi, Lafia, on Monday, at about 1100 hours, when it was reported that a suspect had been intercepted by motor park officials for alleged involvement in organ harvesting.

The CP, therefore, noted that upon receiving the information, he immediately directed the Divisional Police Officer of ‘B’ Division, Lafia, to proceed to the scene. He added that the suspect was subsequently handed over to the operatives, and four victims were successfully rescued.

He said, “Preliminary investigation revealed that on Friday, November 14, 2025, one Maro Ebojoh ‘M’, 40 years old, of Ogbara Inland Area, Ethiope East LGA, Delta State, arrived in Lafia to source potential organ donors and prepare them for an immediate kidney transplant.

“He lured the following victims with a promise of N2,000,000 payment upon completion of the procedure: Umar Ahmadu Barau, 25 years, Suleiman Alhaji-Garba, 20 years, Williams Dadung, 32 years, and Stanley Ezekiel, 27 years.

“The suspect took all the victims to a hospital for medical evaluation. One of the victims, having passed the initial screening, was moved to Abuja for the transplant, but the procedure could not hold due to issues related to blood pressure. The victim was subsequently lodged in a hotel to stabilise. Operatives of the command swiftly moved to Abuja and rescued the victim unhurt.”

See also  Missing Ogun teenager found dead, body mutilated — Police

Mohammed narrated that the suspect confessed to the crime and further stated that the agreed amount between him and his client was ₦6.5m, out of which he had received an advance payment of N500,000, while the donors were to be paid ₦2m.

“He also confessed to having successfully procured a donor for another client two months ago. In that case, he received ₦1m while the donor was paid ₦2.5m,” the CP explained.

The CP further urged members of the public to remain vigilant and cautious, particularly against individuals who disguise themselves as genuine organ donor solicitors but are, in fact, involved in organ harvesting for financial gain.

In another development, the state police boss narrated how operatives of the command raided a criminal hideout in the Karu Local Government Area of the state, where nine suspects were arrested.

He mentioned the names of the suspects to include Ahmed Ibrahim, 27 years; Yusuf Abdulazeez, 23 years; Ismaila Abubakar, 18 years; Abdulrahman Mujahid, 20 years; Abdullahi Abdulazeez, 29 years; Muntaka Garba, 21 years; Hashiru Adamu, 21 years; Abdulrahman Jamilu, 22 years; and Auwalu Bashiru Attah, 20 years.

He said, “On 04/11/2025 at about 1030hrs, police operatives attached to the Mararaba ‘A’ Division raided a criminal hideout located along Musbawu Street, Mararaba, Karu LGA, Nasarawa State.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects were responsible for numerous gang-related robbery operations at night within Mararaba and its environs. Their modus operandi involved attacking residents, stealing mobile phones, and transferring funds from victims’ bank accounts before selling the stolen devices to unsuspecting buyers.”

See also  PHOTOS: EFCC arraigns three foreigners over alleged N12b oil theft in Lagos

He added, “The suspects confessed to the crimes and also admitted to carrying out a robbery operation on 20/05/2025 at the Uke area of Karu LGA, during which they attacked and killed the son of a serving police officer.

“The case is currently under investigation at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Lafia, and the suspects will be charged in court upon conclusion of investigations.”

punch.ng

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

TUMBLR

INSTAGRAM

Continue Reading

Crime

Cameroonian fleeing from suspected ritualists found in Osun

Published

on

A Cameroonian, Ondigui Nnomo Germain, has been found in Osogbo, Osun State, while fleeing from some suspected ritualists.

Germain, who ran into the head office of the Osun Amotekun Corps in the Powerline Area, Osogbo, around 11 am on Tuesday, said he was brought to Nigeria from the Ahala Barriere area in Yaounde by a Nigerian who promised to get him a job.

To get money for his trip to Nigeria, Germain, who was working at a shop in Yaounde, said he sold some of his belongings, adding that he began to suspect the person who brought him to Nigeria when he and his colleagues visited him at a hotel where he was lodged along Osogbo/Ikirun Road on Monday.

Upon realising that the person who brought him from Cameroon may have an ulterior motive, the 28-year-old said he ran out of the hotel and was chased in a vehicle.

After escaping from those chasing him, he said he passed the night in an abandoned building and was wandering around the street until he got to the gate of the Osun State Security Network, also known as Amotekun Corps, located in the Powerline area of Osogbo in the early hours of Tuesday.

Narrating his ordeal in the French language at the entrance to the Osun Amotekun Office using a mobile phone language translator, Germain, who looked disheveled, said, “I am Ondigui Nnomo Germain. I am 28 years old and I am from Yaounde (Ahala Barriere). I was working for a woman in a second-hand shop in Yaounde when his son, a Nigerian, came to me and suggested there was a job for me in Nigeria.

See also  Enugu woman arraigned for accusing husband of defiling children

“I told him that I didn’t have money for the trip, and he told me not to worry, that it was a good job. I sold my belongings and I gave him the money. The money was what he demanded from me before leaving Cameroon. He made sure that I and another person who made the trip had no money in our pockets. They gave us SIM cards when we got to Nigeria.

“We got to Nigeria three days ago (Sunday). What happened thereafter was that yesterday (Monday), the person who brought me here came with another man. I asked him about the work, but he mentioned the post of stock manager.

“I observed that the man who brought me had guys everywhere on the road, even at the border. Then, at about 9 a.m. yesterday, they came to pick me up at the hotel for the interview for the job they promised me.

“There were many in the room where the interview was held inside the hotel. Each of them took their turn trying to convince me. I noticed it was like a voodoo circle; they all had rings except the man who brought me from Cameroon. When I observed that, I sneaked out, but they chased me until I ran into this place.”

Asked what he wanted, Germain said he would like to return to his country. He said, “If you can even accompany me to the border via Buea because I noticed they have guys along the road, I will get to Cameroon. I have fear that I am not safe again.”

When the PUNCH Metro correspondent reported the matter to the Osun State Police Command spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, he said the report should be made at the nearest police station for investigation to commence.

See also  PHOTOS: Nigerian man extradited to the U.S from UK after being indicted for s3xtortion, romance scam and other fraud schemes

Germain was immediately led to the Obelawo Police Post, where he reported the matter.

PUNCH Metro reported on October 27, 2025, that the Osun State Police Command announced the arrest of 10 people suspected to be members of an unlawful society at a lounge in Moro Community.

The state Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, who disclosed the arrest during a press briefing, said those arrested were in a lounge planning evil acts when operatives acting on a tip-off swooped on them.

Gotan, who said the suspects had engaged police operatives in a gun duel immediately they arrived at the scene, added that the cops were, however, able to subdue them and arrested 10 suspects, comprising nine males and one female.

Speaking further, Gotan said five guns, ammunition, five vehicles, and 10 motorcycles were recovered from the scene, noting that efforts had been intensified to arrest the owner and the supervisor in charge of the lounge, believed to be on the run to evade arrest.

Explaining further how the suspects were nabbed, Gotan said, “At about 12:45 am on 25th October, 2025, the command received credible information from public-spirited citizens that some suspected multifaceted criminals, i.e., criminals involved in cultism, kidnapping, thuggery, etc, were shooting sporadically and causing panic at a lounge located at Moro.

“Preliminary investigation reveals that the lounge has become a criminal hideout where they plan attacks within its environs.

“Upon receipt of the information, a team of Police Rapid Response Unit operatives, led by the commander, swiftly mobilised to the scene, and on sighting the police team, the suspected evildoers opened fire, but our gallant officers responded decisively and successfully repelled the attack without any casualty.”

See also  PHOTOS: Police arrest three girls who ass@ulted and str!pped Bayelsa varsity student in viral video

punch.ng

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

TUMBLR

INSTAGRAM

Continue Reading

Crime

Missing FRSC officer, daughter feared killed by Osun herbalist

Published

on

A 39-year-old senior officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Funmilayo Oluwamayokun Lasisi, and her daughter, Sewa Lasisi, who were declared missing in Ogun State, have been found dead with a mutilated body part at a suspected herbalist’s den in Osun, in what is suspected to be a ritual killing.

Our correspondent learnt on Tuesday from a Facebook user, Ayomideji Solanke, who was privy to the incident, that the discovery was made over the weekend.

Recall that PUNCH Metro earlier reported that 39-year-old Lasisi and her teenage daughter were reported missing on the morning of Sunday, November 2, after they left their residence at the Obasanjo Hilltop Estate, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, and never returned.

Oluwamayokun, a Superintendent Route Commander, is a fourth-level senior operational officer in the FRSC hierarchy, responsible for overseeing multiple routes and coordinating strategic enforcement operations.

The Ogun State Police Command had said that efforts by family members and colleagues to reach the officer and her daughter on their mobile phones were unsuccessful.

Sharing an update on the incident on Facebook, Solanke disclosed that a family source had revealed that the remains of the missing officer and her daughter were found at a suspected herbalist’s den in Osun.

Solanke wrote, “The mystery surrounding the disappearance of the Federal Road Safety Corps officer, SRC Lasisi Funmilayo Oluwamayokun, and her young daughter, Sewa, has taken a tragic turn as their remains were reportedly discovered in the home of a suspected herbalist in Osun State.

“Fresh revelations emerged at the weekend when a source close to the bereaved husband disclosed that the bodies of the officer and her daughter were recovered from the residence of a traditional healer in an undisclosed community in Osun State.”

See also  PHOTOS: EFCC arraigns three foreigners over alleged N12b oil theft in Lagos

He added that while the wife of the herbalist has been arrested, the herbalist has since been on the run.

Confirming the incident in a telephone conversation with our correspondent on Tuesday, the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, disclosed that the Osun State Command has arrested some suspects in connection with the incident.

According to Ogunlowo, the Osun command also discovered some exhibits at the scene, which were suspected to be body parts of the missing officer and her daughter.

“The Osun command has commenced investigation, and they have made some arrests. They found some exhibits that are body parts.

“For convenience’s sake, Osun will be investigating the matter, and we will be lending the necessary support. The suspect is with them,” Ogunlowo said.

This is not the first time a missing person has been found dead with a mutilated body part across different states in the country.

PUNCH Metro reported on July 26 that the Ogun State Police Command investigated the death of a 16-year-old boy, Lawal Wahab, whose mutilated body was discovered days after he was declared missing.

Wahab, who was living with his grandmother, was reported missing by his father, Lawal Olumide, before his decomposing remains were found on July 23 along the Old Express Road in Igbile-Ijebu.

Similarly, in January 2020, the dismembered body of a business mogul, Ignatius Adunukwe, was recovered from a bush in the Ajah area of Lagos State.

PUNCH Metro had gathered that Adunukwe was about to sell a landed property to some supposed buyers when he was allegedly kidnapped by the potential buyers, forced to sign some documents, and strangled to death.

See also  Enugu woman arraigned for accusing husband of defiling children

punch.ng

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

TUMBLR

INSTAGRAM

Continue Reading

Trending