The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 25-year-old newlywed businessman, Lovely Chukwulobelu, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA) in Enugu, Nigeria. He was caught on September 25, 2026, while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Portugal via Addis Ababa. According to the NDLEA, Chukwulobelu had ingested 72 wraps of cocaine and was subsequently placed under excretion observation.
During the observation, Chukwulobelu expelled all 72 wraps of the Class A drug. The NDLEA said the suspect told its operatives that he was into car decoration at the Trade Fair Complex, Ojo, Lagos, before relocating to Portugal in May 2023. He recently returned to Nigeria for his wedding on September 13. Chukwulobelu allegedly became involved in drug trafficking to offset expenses incurred during the ceremony.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos seized 2,550,000 pills of Tramaking 225mg, Tramaking 250mg, and Royal Tapentadol 250mg, weighing 1,640.55kg. The seizure, one of the agency's biggest opioid interceptions of the year, followed a joint examination of three monitored consignments on September 22. The consignments were imported from India and Bangladesh through Qatar Airways, RwandAir, and Ethiopian Airlines.
The NDLEA also made several other significant seizures and arrests across Nigeria. In Bauchi, operatives arrested Umar Hamidu, 35, and Abdulkarim Salihu, 45, along the Maiduguri bypass with 300 compressed blocks of skunk weighing 262.5kg. The cannabis was concealed in a false compartment of a truck. In Edo State, NDLEA officers destroyed two cannabis farms at Eko Camp, Ilushi, with an estimated combined yield of 1,360.23kg.
In Lagos, the NDLEA arrested Odumabo Kehinde, 36, and Obiekwe Chioma, 40, during a raid on Anifowoshe Street, Mushin, and recovered 3.4kg of skunk. On the same day, operatives intercepted 58-year-old Ugwu Johnson at Ebute-Ero Motor Park and recovered 5.92kg of skunk, 2,400 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 8,400 tablets of nitrazepam, and 40,000 pills of tramadol.
The NDLEA also arrested two Togolese nationals, Yinusa Abdulsamad, 35, and Fatai Baba, 33, along the Iganna-Ilero Road in Iganna, Oyo State. They were allegedly transporting 305.6kg of skunk concealed in two pickup vans as part of a cross-border trafficking operation involving cannabis sourced from Ghana. At the Seme border in Badagry, Lagos State, the NDLEA arrested five suspects with 420 cartons of nitrous oxide, popularly known as laughing gas, weighing 1,688.4kg.
The NDLEA's operations demonstrate its continued efforts to combat drug trafficking and seizures in Nigeria. The agency's seizures and arrests reflect its commitment to disrupting the flow of illicit substances into and within the country. The NDLEA's work is crucial in preventing the harm caused by drug abuse and trafficking.
Key points
- The NDLEA arrested a newlywed businessman with 72 wraps of cocaine at the Enugu airport.
- The agency made a significant seizure of 2,550,000 pills of opioid at the Lagos airport.
- The NDLEA conducted multiple operations across Nigeria, resulting in several arrests and seizures.
