Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have taken a 25-year-old newlywed businessman, Lovely Chukwulobelu, into custody at Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA) in Enugu. He was caught trying to smuggle 72 wraps of ingested cocaine to Portugal. Chukwulobelu was stopped in the airport’s departure area on Thursday, September 25, 2026, while he was about to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Portugal via Addis Ababa.
Chukwulobelu, who still wore his wedding ring during the incident, was subjected to a period of observation for excretion, after which he expelled a total of 72 wraps of the illegal drug. According to NDLEA reports, Chukwulobelu had previously run a car decoration business at the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo, Lagos, before moving to Portugal in May 2023. He admitted that he returned to Nigeria to marry on September 13, 2026.
He explained that he got involved in drug trafficking to pay off debts and cover costs related to his wedding. The NDLEA did not disclose the exact amount of money he hoped to earn from the smuggling. The incident occurred just days before his wedding, which was not specified in the report.
In a related development, NDLEA agents at the import section of Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos discovered one of the largest opioid seizures of the year during a joint inspection of three monitored shipments on Tuesday, September 22, 2026. This operation resulted in the confiscation of 2,550,000 pills of Tramaking (225mg and 250mg) and Royal Tapentadol (250mg), with a total weight of 1,640.55 kilograms.
The shipments originated from India and Bangladesh and were brought in by Qatar Airways, RwandAir, and Ethiopian Airlines. The anti-narcotics agency reported that the seized drugs had a significant street value, though the exact amount was not specified. The NDLEA has been stepping up its efforts to curb the smuggling of illicit substances into Nigeria.
The NDLEA also reported several achievements during recent nationwide operations in various states. In Bauchi State, agents caught Umar Hamidu, 35, and Abdulkarim Salihu, 45, on the Maiduguri bypass with 300 compressed blocks of skunk weighing 262.5 kg hidden in a false bottom of a truck. In Edo State, NDLEA officers, along with military support, destroyed two cannabis farms at Eko Camp, Ilushi, on Wednesday, September 23.
These farms had an estimated yield of 1,360.23 kg. Additionally, NDLEA teams across the country increased their efforts in the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaigns, holding awareness lectures at various schools and institutions. Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, praised the officers for their successful operations and encouraged commands across the country to maintain a balanced approach in their drug control efforts.
Key points
- NDLEA arrests 25-year-old groom with 72 cocaine wraps at Enugu Airport
- Agency confiscates 2,550,000 pills of opioids in Lagos
- NDLEA destroys cannabis farms, increases WADA advocacy campaigns
