The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has rubbished reports alleging the existence of a secret airstrip in Kebbi State being used to smuggle cocaine into the country, describing the claims as mischievous, baseless, and politically motivated.
The agency’s Kebbi State Commander, Rabi’u Abdullahi Sokoto, disclosed this during a joint briefing held at the Cabinet Office Conference Hall, Haliru Audu, Birnin Kebbi, following directives from the NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd.), to investigate the viral claims.
A statement by the the Kebbi State Commissioner for Information and Culture, Yakubu Ahmed, quoted the agency as saying the investigation found no evidence whatsoever of any clandestine airstrip in the Argungu forest allegedly serving as a cocaine trafficking route between Nigeria and Bogotá, Colombia.
“We conducted a thorough investigation, and our findings indicate that the allegations are baseless and lack merit,” Commander Sokoto said.
He dismissed as laughable the viral video purportedly showing the alleged airstrip, insisting it was “clearly AI-generated, fabricated to mislead the public and serve ulterior motives.”
The NDLEA commander also questioned the logic behind the reports, asking: “How could an obscure airstrip possibly accommodate 12 aircraft at a time?”
The NDLEA reaffirmed its commitment to professionalism, intelligence-driven enforcement, and inter-agency collaboration to ensure that Kebbi State remains free from drug-related crimes and falsehoods capable of causing public unrest.
On his part, the State Commissioner for Information and Culture, described the allegations as “patently ridiculous and laughable,” accusing some politicians of orchestrating the smear campaign to discredit Governor Nasir Idris and the people of Kebbi State.
Ahmed said “This is another continuation of the baseless attacks against the governor and the good people of Kebbi by politicians desperate for power. Our people must ignore such malicious propaganda and remain vigilant, as the enemies of the state will not relent in their mischief.”
