Two Europe-based Nigerian businessmen, Aliocus Godian Odife and Sam Blackborn, have been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. They were caught attempting to smuggle 200 wraps of cocaine concealed in their stomachs to Paris, France. The suspects were intercepted during the clearance of an Air France flight on October 28, 2026.
The NDLEA operatives conducted a body scan on the suspects during the departure clearance process, which revealed foreign objects in their stomachs. Odife, who claimed to live in France and work in a factory, admitted ingesting 110 pellets of cocaine. He was subsequently placed under observation, during which he excreted all 110 wraps, weighing 1.901 kilogrammes. His co-traveller, Blackborn, admitted swallowing 90 pellets of cocaine and subsequently excreted all the wraps under observation, weighing 1.559 kilogrammes.
The recovered cocaine from both suspects tested positive. In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives arrested a woman, Aisha Isah, at a toll gate along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway with 266 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition. The agency did not disclose the intended destination of the ammunition or the circumstances surrounding its transportation.
The NDLEA also conducted operations in various states, seizing large consignments of cannabis and other illicit drugs. Along the Zaria-Kano Expressway, operatives arrested a 68-year-old man, Ifeanyi Egwolonwu, with 2,770 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 100 ampoules of diazepam injection, 11,000 tablets of diazepam, and 4,500 tablets of Exol-5.
In Lagos, operatives intercepted a white Volkswagen LT 28 bus along Kudirat Abiola Way, Ikeja, recovering 537 kilogrammes of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis. Another team intercepted a brown J5 bus along the Gbagada-Oshodi Expressway, seizing an additional 439 kilogrammes of skunk.
The NDLEA also raided cannabis farms in Ijare Forest in Ondo State, arresting four suspects and recovering 180 kilogrammes of processed cannabis. In Edo State, operatives raided Eko Camp in Ilushi, destroying a cannabis plantation measuring 1.646 hectares with an estimated yield of 4,115.53 kilogrammes.
The nationwide operations resulted in multiple arrests, the recovery of hundreds of thousands of controlled drug tablets, and the destruction of illicit drug consignments. The NDLEA disclosed the details of the operations in a statement issued on Sunday, November 1, 2026, by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
Key points
- Two Europe-based Nigerian businessmen were arrested with 200 wraps of cocaine at Abuja's Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
- The NDLEA conducted nationwide operations, seizing large consignments of cannabis and other illicit drugs across several states.
- The operations resulted in multiple arrests and the recovery of hundreds of thousands of controlled drug tablets.
