Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA)

By Uzair Adam

Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) on Thursday marked a century since the first aircraft landed in Nigeria, highlighting Kano’s pivotal role in the country’s aviation history.

The three-day celebration, organised by the Caliphate Aviation Training Centre, kicked off with exhibitions, panel discussions, and an airshow designed to inspire the next generation of aviators.

Okikiri Musa, Regional and Airport Manager of MAKIA, described the centenary as a proud moment for both Kano and the nation.

“This milestone is significant for all of us, especially Kano,” Musa said. “Being the site of Nigeria’s first aircraft landing is something to celebrate. 

“Aviation has grown immensely, and Kano continues to be a key hub in air transport. We pray that Allah continues to bless Kano and strengthen Nigeria’s aviation sector.”

Hassan Abdulhamid, Director of Administration at Caliphate Air Services, noted that the event not only commemorates history but also encourages young Nigerians to explore careers in the aviation industry.

Celebrating 100 years since the first aircraft landed in Nigeria, here in Kano, gives students hands-on experience in aviation — from ticketing and boarding to meeting pilots and engineers. We hope this inspires a lifelong passion and guides them toward aviation careers,” Abdulhamid said.

He explained that the first two days of the event are focused on secondary school students, while university students and lecturers will later present research to address data gaps in the aviation sector.

“There is limited data on aviation in this region. By involving universities in research, we aim to generate insights that will benefit the industry,” he added.

Transport historian Dr Yusuf Madugu of Bayero University, Kano (BUK), recalled that the first aircraft to land in Nigeria touched down in Kano on November 1, 1925.

“The flight, led by Lieutenant Arthur Cunningham, came from Egypt via Khartoum and N’Djamena. It landed at the Kano Racecourse, now the Polo Club, as there was no airport at the time. Smoke from a fire was used to guide the pilot,” Dr Madugu explained.

He emphasised that Kano’s status as a commercial and religious hub made it the ideal destination for the historic flight.

“Kano was the commercial nerve centre of Northern Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa, which is why the colonial authorities chose it as the first point of air entry into the country,” he said.

The centenary celebration included a historical exhibition on aviation in Nigeria, discussions on the sector’s economic impact, and tributes to pioneers of the industry. 

Other highlights featured a static airshow, kiting competitions for children, and live aerial demonstrations.

Organisers said the event aims to renew public interest in aviation and reaffirm Kano’s role as the cradle of Nigeria’s air transport history.

Mohammad Qaddam Sidq Isa (Daddy) 

The recent revelation that three Nigerians, recently detained by Saudi authorities on allegations of drug trafficking, had been framed by an international drug trafficking syndicate operating at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) further confirms the persistence of such nefarious activities, bringing to mind a similar scandal in 2019 that nearly cost an innocent woman her life in the Kingdom. 

The syndicate’s modus operandi begins by targeting unsuspecting travellers at MAKIA who appear to have little or no experience in international air travel protocols. 

Exploiting the fact that such travellers rarely turn up at the airport check-in counter with enough luggage to take up their full luggage allowance, if they are even aware of it, the syndicate members covertly tag and check in drug-containing luggage under the travellers’ names.

On arrival in Jeddah or Madinah, the syndicate’s Saudi-based Nigerian accomplices monitor the luggage processing. If the bags make it through undetected, they somehow manage to claim them, sometimes with, and other times without, the traveller’s knowledge or involvement.

However, if the bags are flagged, the accomplices vanish, leaving the unsuspecting travellers to be apprehended and subjected to the Kingdom’s strict judicial system, where drug trafficking can carry the ultimate punishment: public beheading.

Despite Nigerian authorities’ assurances since the 2019 scandal that all structural and operational loopholes exploited by the syndicate had been addressed, the latest incident demonstrates that these measures were insufficient. It also underscores the growing notoriety of the otherwise reputable MAKIA as a hub for international drug trafficking syndicates specialising in framing unsuspecting travellers. 

If organised crime of this sophistication can occur at the relatively less corruption-prone MAKIA, one can only imagine what might be happening at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos or Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. 

Only Allah knows how many innocent people, framed in this way and too unlucky for their ordeals to be publicised or their innocence to be proven, ended up publicly beheaded in Saudi Arabia. 

Although the Nigerian government has assured that it will leave no stone unturned to secure the exoneration of these innocent Nigerians currently facing drug trafficking charges in Saudi Arabia, it should not take the situation for granted. 

Meanwhile, it should also take decisive action to address this menace at MAKIA and other airports across the country. After all, the few individuals apprehended may represent only a fraction of the culprits, with many others likely still out there.

Mohammad Qaddam Sidq Isa (Daddy) wrote via mohammadsidq@gmail.com.

By Hadiza Abdulkadir

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a drug trafficking syndicate exploiting hajj pilgrims as cocaine couriers to Saudi Arabia.

Two intending pilgrims, Ibrahim Umar Mustapha and Muhammad Siraj Shifado, were arrested on Monday, May 26, at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport during screening for an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Jeddah. They were found to have ingested 90 wraps of cocaine between them, weighing a total of 1.04 kilograms.

Following intelligence gathered from their arrest, NDLEA operatives apprehended three alleged sponsors of the operation: Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Muhammed Tijjani, and Muhammad Aji Shugaba, on May 27 and 28 in Kano.

In a related operation, a 60-year-old businessman, Chinedu Leonard Okigbo, was arrested on May 28 at the same airport while boarding a Qatar Airways flight to Iran. He excreted 65 wraps of cocaine, weighing 1.41kg.

NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the agency’s Kano command for its swift action and called for continued vigilance during the hajj season.

“This bust shows how far traffickers are willing to go. We will not let religious pilgrimage be used as a cover for criminal activity,” Marwa stated.