National Drug Law Enforcement Agency officers intercepted female passenger Fatimah Ahmad at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport on Friday 16 October 2026 during outward clearance of an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, via Addis Ababa.[1][2] Officers searching her luggage found parcels of cannabis weighing 511.75 grammes concealed inside a gallon of palm oil she was carrying.[1][2] The agency describes the seized drug as skunk, a high-grade cannabis strain.[1]
Ahmad told operatives the palm oil gallon had been given to her by her cousin, Abubakar Yahaya.[1][2] Officers promptly arrested Yahaya at the airport car park in connection with the consignment.[1][2] NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy Femi Babafemi confirmed the interception in a statement issued on Sunday 18 October as part of a series of operations across several states.[1][2]
Warning to travellers
Babafemi said the seizure formed part of operations to disrupt trafficking networks and repeated the agency’s warning never to accept parcels, luggage or containers from anyone, including relatives, without personally verifying the contents.[1][2] The agency noted traffickers often exploit personal relationships and unsuspecting couriers to move drugs across borders, and warned that carriers risk arrest, prosecution and imprisonment, especially in countries with strict drug laws such as Saudi Arabia.[1][2]
