The Police in Kano State have arrested three suspects for allegedly facilitating cocaine trafficking to Saudi Arabia.
Spokesman of the command, SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa,
confirmed the arrest in a statement issued.
He said two of the suspects, Auwal Ishaq and Idris Sani Suleiman, reported to
the police that one Hajiya Sharifat Abdullahi used their wives on agreement 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.
According to him, “On 11/07/2023 at about 1200hrs, one Auwal Ishaq of
Kawo Quarters and Idris Sani Suleiman of Medile Quarters, Kano jointly reported
to police that they were contacted in June 2023 by one Hajiya Sharifat
Abdullahi of Kuregen Sani Hotoro, Kano to allow their wives to travel through
international routes via Lagos Airport Terminal”.
“One of the complainants, Auwal Ishaq, claimed that he paid
the sum of six million naira (N6,000,000:00) for his two wives; Binta Nasidi
and Zulaihat Ahmed Adam, while Idris Sani Suleiman also claimed to have paid
three million naira (N3,000,000:00) for his one wife, Rashida Abdullahi, on
agreement for travelling together to perform Pilgrimage rites with the
arrangement that they would convey some undisclosed substance in Saudi Arabia.
SP Kiyawa explained that both the complainants raised their
concerns to the police that since their departure from Nigeria they have lost
contact with them and all efforts to reach them proved abortive.
He said later, one of the complainants reported back to
police that he received information through a phone call from one of his wives
that after the completion of this year’s Hajj Operational activities, they were
all arrested by the Saudi Arabian Authority for offences of trafficking in
substance suspected to be Cocaine.
SP Kiyawa said police investigation led to the arrest of the
principal suspect; Hajiya Sharifat Abdullahi and confirmed that the
complainants
were part of the arrangement and are aware that their wives will be used as
couriers of the said undisclosed contents to be delivered to a lady at the
Airport in Saudi Arabia.
The two wives of Auwal were promised one million naira (N1,000,000:00) each
when they are back after successful delivery, while Idris Sani was promised one
150,000:00 payment to him for playing a middleman role who already lied and in
a deceitful manner claimed to be the husband of Rashidat Abdullahi.
According to the suspect (Hajiya Sharifat), “The two wives of one of the
complainants (Auwal) were promised one million naira (N1,000,000:00) each when
they were back after successful delivery, while Idris Sani was promised one
Hundred and fifty thousand Naira (150,000:00) payment to him for playing a
middleman role.”
SP Kiyawa also stated that the suspect (Hajiya Sharifat)
confessed to having conspired with the other complainant (Idris Sani Suleiman)
in the recruitment of people for the said Kano-based cartel of human and drug
trafficking businesses.
He said both the complainants were turned into accused persons and were
arrested.
The police spokesman said the case has been transferred to the state office of
the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for the completion of the
investigation.
