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…As police smash cartel in Kano
From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
Three Nigerian female pilgrims have been arrested by the Saudi Arabian authorities for alleged trafficking in substances suspected to be cocaine.
The suspects, whose names were given as Binta Nasidi, Zulaihat Ahmed Adam and Rashida Abdullahi, all residents of Kano city, were arrested upon the completion of this year’s Hajj operational activities.
According to a statement issued on Friday by the spokesman of the Kano State Police Command, Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, the mothers were led into the alleged crime by one Sharifat Abdullahi, aged, 55 a resident of Kureken Sani Quarters Kumbotso Area of the state..
Shedding light into the crime, the police said they received a complaint from one Auwal Ishaq of Kawo Quarters and Idris Sani Suleiman of Medile Quarters.
“The complainants reported that they were contacted in June by Sharifat to allow their wives travel through international routes via Lagos Airport Terminal.
“At the initial complaint, Auwal Ishaq claimed that he paid the sum of N6 million for his two wives- Binta Nasidi and Zulaihat Ahmed Adam while Idris Sani Suleiman claimed to have paid N3 million for his wife Rashida Abdullahi to travel together to perform pilgrimage rites with the arrangement that they will convey some undisclosed substance from their link at Lagos Airport and to deliver the substance to someone at the airport in Saudi Arabia.
“The complainants reported that since their wives departed from Nigeria, they had lost contact with them and all efforts to reach them proved abortive,” the police said.
According to the police, Auwal however came back to report that he received a call from one of his two wives that they were all arrested by the Saudi Arabian authorities for offences of trafficking in substances suspected to be cocaine.
Following the complaints, the police commenced investigation and picked up the principal suspect, Sharifat Abdullahi, who upon interrogation confessed that the complainants were part of the arrangement.
According to her, the complainants were fully aware that their wives would be used as couriers of the said undisclosed contents to be delivered to a lady at the airport in Saudi Arabia.
She further confessed that “the two wives of Auwal were also promised N1 million each when they returned after the successful delivery, while Idris Sani, who had claimed to be Rashidat’s husband, was also promised N150,000 for playing the role of a middleman
The principal suspect also confessed to have conspired with the said Idris Sani Suleiman in the recruitment of people in the state to engage in human/drug trafficking businesses, the police disclosed.
The police said they have arrested the two initial complainants, adding that the case has been transferred to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
