A 25-year-old newlywed businessman was arrested at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu on September 25, while preparing to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Portugal via Addis Ababa. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) reported that the suspect had allegedly ingested the cocaine before arriving at the airport. He was subsequently placed under observation and later passed all 72 wraps of cocaine.
According to investigators, the suspect had previously operated a car decoration business at the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo, Lagos, before relocating to Portugal in May 2023. He recently returned to Nigeria and got married on September 13. The NDLEA stated that the suspect claimed he agreed to traffic the drugs in an attempt to meet expenses incurred during his wedding.
In a separate operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, NDLEA officers seized more than 2.5 million opioid pills following the examination of three consignments on September 22. The agency said the 2,550,000 pills, comprising Tramaking and Royal Tapentadol, had a combined gross weight of 1,640.55kg and were imported from India and Bangladesh aboard Qatar Airways, RwandAir, and Ethiopian Airlines.
The NDLEA also reported that two suspects were arrested along the Maiduguri bypass in Bauchi after officers allegedly discovered 300 compressed blocks of cannabis weighing 262.5kg concealed in a false compartment of a truck. Additionally, NDLEA officers, supported by soldiers, destroyed two cannabis farms at Eko Camp in Ilushi, Edo state, which the agency estimated could yield 1,360.23kg of cannabis.
Further operations were conducted in Lagos, where two women were arrested during a raid in Mushin on Saturday, with officers recovering 3.4kg of cannabis. A 58-year-old man was separately arrested at Ebute-Ero motor park, where officers said they recovered cannabis, pentazocine injections, nitrazepam tablets, and 40,000 tramadol pills.
The NDLEA also arrested two Togolese nationals along the Iganna-Ilero road in Oyo state after officers allegedly recovered 305.6kg of cannabis from two pick-up vehicles. The agency stated that the drugs had been brought from Ghana through the Oyo axis. At the Seme border in Badagry, Lagos, five suspects were arrested after officers recovered 420 cartons of nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, weighing 1,688.4kg.
NDLEA chairman, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers involved in the operations and urged personnel across the country to sustain the agency’s drug-control efforts. The series of operations demonstrate the NDLEA's continued efforts to curb drug trafficking in Nigeria.
Key points
- A 25-year-old newlywed businessman was arrested at Enugu airport for attempting to traffic 72 wraps of cocaine to Portugal.
- NDLEA officers seized over 2.5 million opioid pills at Lagos airport, and arrested suspects in multiple operations across Nigeria.
- The NDLEA chairman commended officers for their efforts and urged them to sustain the agency's drug-control efforts.