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NDLEA Nabs Saudi-Bound Pilgrims With Drugs

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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA has discovered and dismantled a criminal syndicate that specialised in sponsoring hajj pilgrims as drug couriers to Saudi Arabia, arresting three key cartel leaders in Kano.

The kingpins, Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Tijjani, and Muhammad Aji Shugaba, were apprehended on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 27 and 28, in follow-up operations after two intending pilgrims were arrested at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, with 90 cocaine pellets.

A statement made available to the column.ng  by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said that the two suspects, Ibrahim Mustapha and Muhammad  Shifado, were intercepted on  May 26 during the outward clearance of passengers on the Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 940 to Jeddah.

Acting on credible intelligence, he said the NDLEA operatives subjected the pilgrims to a body scan which confirmed ingestion of illicit substances.

Babafemi added that they were placed under excretion observation and subsequently excreted 45 wraps of cocaine each, totalling 90 pellets and weighing 1.04kg.

“An investigation soon unravelled their sponsors as leaders of a notorious drug trafficking network, which specialises in trafficking illicit drugs to Saudi Arabia. A swift follow-up operation was carried out, and the trio of Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Muhammed Tijjani, and Muhammad Aji Shugaba were arrested on  May 27 and 28, 2025 in Kano,” he added.

Also in Kano, Babafemi said the NDLEA officers at the same airport arrested a 60-year-old businessman, Chinedu Leonard Okigbo, on Wednesday.

Babafemi said he was intercepted during the clearance for Qatar Airways flight QR1432 to Iran.

“His body scan confirmed he ingested illicit substances, as a result of which he was placed on excretion observation, during which he excreted 65 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.41kg,” he added.

Elsewhere, Babafemi said operatives at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, in Rivers State, conducted a joint examination of seven watch-listed containers between May 28 and May 30.

He added that the operation yielded a massive haul of 825,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup and trodol, valued at N5.78bn, along with 5.1 million pills of tapentadol 225mg valued at N3.57bn —bringing the total street value to N9.35bn.

In another major bust also in Kano, Babafemi said the NDLEA operatives patrolling along the Kano-Maiduguri Road on May 30 intercepted Abubakar Hussein (42) and Sahabi Adamu (53) with $900,000 in suspected counterfeit currency.

He said the case had been transferred to the appropriate authorities for further investigation.

In Adamawa State, 390 compressed blocks of skunk cannabis weighing 275.3kg were discovered abandoned in a Toyota Sienna parked along Ngurore–Yola Road on Tuesday.

In Kwara State, he said a notorious female drug dealer, Alhaja Mutiat Abdul-Fatai, was arrested on  May 31 at the Oja Oba area of Ilorin.

“Various quantities of opioids, including tramadol, flunitrazepam, and codeine-based syrup, were recovered from her residence,” he added.

Commending the agency’s operatives for their commitment, the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), praised the commands at the MAKIA, PHPC, Kano, Kwara, and Adamawa for their recent achievements.

He also lauded officers across the country for maintaining a strategic balance between drug supply reduction and demand reduction efforts.b

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Transfer: Real Madrid , Cucurella Reach Verbal Agreement 

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Chelsea reliable defender, Marc Cucurella may join Spanish giant, Real Madrid before the end of the current transfer window.if information from transfer journalist, Fabrizio Romano are anything to go by.

 

Romano In a latest transfer update, said Real Madrid has reached verbal agreement to sign Marc Cucurella from Chelsea.

“Verbal agreement in place between all parties, player too — he’s the left back wanted by Mourinho” the update read.

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Hakimi, Vinicius Barred From Speaking Spanish At World Cup

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FIFA has come under scrutiny after several high-profile players, including Achraf Hakimi and Vinicius Junior, were discouraged from speaking Spanish during media engagements at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States.

 

The issue first surfaced ahead of Morocco’s Group C clash with Brazil when a Spanish-speaking journalist attempted to question Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi in Spanish.

Despite Hakimi, who grew up in Madrid and speaks the language fluently, indicating he was comfortable answering in Spanish, event officials reportedly insisted that questions be asked in English.

Hakimi attempted to reassure organizers that language would not be a barrier, but officials maintained that no Spanish translator was available for the session. A compromise was eventually reached, with the reporter asking the question in Spanish while Hakimi responded in English.

The controversy intensified during Brazil’s media session when Vinicius Junior was also interrupted while responding to a question in Spanish.

The Real Madrid forward, who is more comfortable speaking Portuguese or Spanish than English, was reportedly asked by organizers to switch languages.

Rather than continue in Spanish, Vinicius opted to answer in Portuguese before turning his attention back to Brazil’s World Cup preparations.

The incidents sparked widespread debate among journalists and fans, many of whom questioned why Spanish—a language spoken by millions across North America—was effectively restricted at a tournament being hosted largely in the United States.

According to Spanish media outlet El País, FIFA only provides Spanish-language translation services at World Cup press conferences involving Spanish-speaking nations such as Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador, and Paraguay.

For all other teams, questions and answers are expected to be conducted either in English or the official language of the participating country.

The policy has generated criticism online, with many supporters arguing that multilingual communication should be encouraged at a global event like the World Cup.

The backlash was particularly strong in Vinicius’ case, as the Brazilian forward appeared visibly uncomfortable being asked to communicate in English.

The controversy overshadowed what was otherwise a highly anticipated encounter between Brazil and Morocco, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

With the issue now drawing international attention, FIFA may face increasing calls to review its media language guidelines as the tournament progresses.

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It’s Illegal’…Falana’s Bombshell Indicts Govs, FG.

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Human rights advocate, Femi Falana, has warned federal and state governments against negotiating with and rewarding terrorists.

 

According to Falana, the practice is illegal.

He stated this while delivering the keynote address at the Amnesty International Second Annual General Meeting in Abuja on June 13, 2026.

Falana claimed it is public knowledge officials of the Federal Government and some State Governments have been holding meetings and negotiating with terrorists and bandits, which has led to thousands of ‘repentant’ criminals being forgiven and given cash gifts of undisclosed sums of money.

Asserting that the “satanic Boko Haram sect and similar bodies have been proscribed” under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, Falana insisted that “their members and allies shall be prosecuted and not pampered and forgiven by the Nigerian State.”

Highlighting the legal consequences, he quoted Section 22 of the Act, stating: “A person who knowingly—(a) arranges, manages, assists in arranging or managing, participates in a meeting or an activity, which in his knowledge is concerned or connected with an act of terrorism or terrorist group, (b) collects, or provides logistics, equipment, information, articles or facilities for a meeting or an activity, which in his knowledge is concerned or connected with an act of terrorism or terrorist group, or (c) attends a meeting, which in his knowledge is to support a proscribed entity or to further the objectives of a proscribed entity, commits an offence, and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of at least 20 years.”

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