Following the recent discovery by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on tagging of luggage using airline passengers name by drug cartel, Independent Hajj Reporters, a civil society organisations that monitor and reports about hajj activities has called for introduction of pre- departure on shore luggage card for Nigerian pilgrims.
This was contained in a statement jointly signed on Tuesday by its National Coordinator Ibrahim Muhammed and Publicity Secretary, Abubakar Mahmoud.
The statement reads in part; โWe urge National Hajj Commission (NAHCON) to introduce luggage cards to record the number of luggage of each pilgrims and to record the content prior to departure to Saudi Arabia for Hajj or Umrah exercise.
โIt would be recalled that the NDLEA was reported to have uncovered a cartel, which specialised in planting illicit drugs in travellers’ luggage.
The operation that leads to discovery was the arrest of Zainab by Saudi Arabia Police on December 26, 2018 after arriving for lesser Hajj.
โAccording to a report on the investigation, a copy of which was made available to journalists, a suspected cartel in the airport had planted the tramadol-bearing luggage on Zainab.
โIn the report, which had since been forwarded to the Consul-General in Jeddah for action, it was further established that Zainab who, like her mother and sister, had only a luggage, was not aware that a second bag had been labelled in her name.โ
The Independent Hajj Reporters said the luggage card is imperative to avoid the killing of innocent Nigerians who may fall prey of the devilish tricks employed by greedy drugs cartel.
The group also called for the review of pre-departure onshore pilgrims’ luggage screening to curtail possible intruding hole that can be exploited by ever vigilant and determined drug lords.
โSuch luggage cards will be given to each pilgrim at the point of screening to fill. Local pilgrims officers can be detailed to collate photocopy of each pilgrim and hand over such to airline officers for record purposes,โ the group stated adding that there is also need for proper enlightenment of pilgrims on the new trend.
