The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) announced the arrest on September 28, 2026, stating that Chukwulobelu, a resident of Portugal, was intercepted by operatives at the airport's departure hall on September 25. He was attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Portugal via Addis Ababa. The suspect had the cocaine concealed in his stomach and was wearing his wedding ring when arrested.
According to the NDLEA, Chukwulobelu was placed under excretion observation, during which he egested 72 wraps of cocaine. The suspect claimed that he previously operated a car decoration business in Lagos before relocating to Portugal in May 2023. He recently returned to Nigeria and got married on September 13, 2026. Chukwulobelu allegedly told investigators that he resorted to drug trafficking to offset expenses incurred during his wedding.
The NDLEA disclosed that Chukwulobelu's arrest occurred as he attempted to return to Portugal after his wedding. The agency's Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, released a statement confirming the arrest. The NDLEA has been actively intercepting large consignments of illicit drugs in recent operations.
In a separate operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, NDLEA operatives recovered 2,550,000 pills of Tramakings 225mg and 250mg and Royal Tapentadol 250mg. The drugs, weighing 1,640.55kg, were discovered during a joint examination of three monitored consignments imported from India and Bangladesh. The consignments were brought into Nigeria through Qatar Airways, RwandAir, and Ethiopian Airlines.
The NDLEA also made several other significant seizures across the country. In Bauchi State, two suspects, Umar Hamidu and Abdulkarim Salihu, were arrested with 300 compressed blocks of skunk weighing 262.5kg. In Edo State, NDLEA operatives destroyed two cannabis farms at Eko Camp, Ilushi, with an estimated yield of 1,360.23kg of cannabis.
Further seizures were made in Lagos, where two women, Odumabo Kehinde and Obiekwe Chioma, were arrested with 3.4kg of skunk. Another suspect, Ugwu Johnson, was intercepted with 5.920kg of skunk, 2,400 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 8,400 tablets of nitrazepam, and 40,000 pills of tramadol. In Oyo State, two Togolese nationals were arrested with 305.6kg of skunk allegedly concealed in two pickup vans.
Additionally, at the Seme border in Badagry, Lagos, five suspects were arrested with 420 cartons of nitrous oxide, popularly known as laughing gas, weighing 1,688.4kg. The NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended the officers and men involved in the operations and urged them to sustain their efforts in drug control.
Key points
- The NDLEA arrested a 25-year-old newlywed for attempting to traffic 72 wraps of cocaine to Portugal.
- The agency made several other significant seizures across Nigeria, including the recovery of 2,550,000 pills of Tramakings and Royal Tapentadol.
- The NDLEA destroyed two cannabis farms in Edo State with an estimated yield of 1,360.23kg of cannabis.
