Suspects accused of tagging travelers’ luggage with illicit drugs granted bail

Jazuli Kabir, a worker with a handling company at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, and his co-accused, suspected drug kingpin Ali Abubakar, popularly known as Bello Karama, who are accused of tagging bags containing illicit drugs with the names of other travellers, have been granted bail by Justice S.M. Shuaibu of the Federal High Court, […]

Jazuli Kabir, a worker with a handling company at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, and his co-accused, suspected drug kingpin Ali Abubakar, popularly known as Bello Karama, who are accused of tagging bags containing illicit drugs with the names of other travellers, have been granted bail by Justice S.M. Shuaibu of the Federal High Court, Kano.

Prosecution counsel, Aminu Muhammad, had opposed the bail application, moved by the defence counsel, M.B. Isa, on the grounds that NDLEA operatives had difficulty arresting the defendants who, he said, could possibly jump bail.

Justice Shuaibu, however, ruled that the offence is bailable and granted them bail in the sum of N6 million each and a surety in like sum who must be a resident of Kano. The surety and the defendants are to make a refundable deposit of N7 million each to the Deputy Court Registrar, who should deposit the same in a commercial bank and make a verified report on the addresses of the sureties.

The defendants were suspected to belong to a syndicate operating at the Kano airport, where they tagged bags containing illicit drugs with the names of three unsuspecting passengers who travelled to Jedda on an Ethiopian Airline flight ET940 on August 6, 2025. The three passengers were subsequently arrested in Saudi Arabia for alleged drug trafficking.

The Saudi authorities have since released the three Nigerian pilgrims: Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu, and Abdulhamid Sadiq, following the intervention of the NDLEA, which engaged the leadership of the General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC) in Saudi Arabia. The case has been adjourned to November 20 and 21 for continuation of the trial.