The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered another shocking case of international drug trafficking, arresting two Brazil returnees who excreted a combined 116 wraps of heroin and cocaine after days in custody.
According to a statement by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the suspects—Ofoma Sunday and Ukachukwu Frank Ikechukwu—were caught at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, after body scans confirmed they had ingested illicit substances.
Ofoma’s Arrest and Excretion
On Tuesday, September 16, 2025, 46-year-old Ofoma arrived Lagos from Brazil via Ethiopia Airlines and was intercepted at Terminal 2. A scan revealed he had ingested drugs.
NDLEA operatives swiftly moved in and later carried out a follow-up operation at Eliata Hotel, Amuwo Odofin, where Ofoma was expected to excrete the substances. His handler, Nweke Jude Chukwudi, 55, who was designated to recover the drugs, was also arrested.
In eight rounds of excretion, Ofoma released 111 wraps of heroin weighing 1.45kg. Investigators revealed he had traveled to Brazil earlier this month specifically to courier the drugs for a promised reward of $2,500.
Ukachukwu’s Painful Cocaine Smuggling Attempt
Just three days later, on Friday, September 19, another suspect, Ukachukwu Frank Ikechukwu, was caught during inward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines passengers from Brazil.
A scan confirmed he had inserted hard drugs. Under NDLEA’s excretion observation, Ukachukwu released five large wraps of cocaine weighing 145 grams.
In his statement, Ukachukwu narrated a harrowing ordeal: he had bought nine wraps of cocaine in Brazil and spent nearly two hours inserting them into his anus. But during his transit in Addis Ababa, severe anal pain forced him to remove some. He could only reinsert seven wraps and flushed the remaining two in a toilet.
While onboard his flight to Lagos, discomfort forced him to use the lavatory, where he expelled two more wraps, leaving just five inside him on arrival.
Ukachukwu, who previously dealt in clothing business, revealed a troubling past—he had once been arrested in the United States for immigration offences and deported back to Nigeria in 2022. By March 2025, he returned to Brazil and secured a residence permit, before falling back into drug smuggling.
More Arrests at Lagos Airport
The Lagos airport also recorded other seizures within the same week. On September 14, Okolonkwo Ebere Theresa, a businesswoman from Enugu, was caught concealing 1.4kg of methamphetamine inside her butt-pad underwear while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Doha.
Similarly, NDLEA officers intercepted food items on September 15 that concealed 40 wraps of methamphetamine weighing 2.3kg, and another shipment of seven phone chargers containing 257 grams of cocaine heading to New Zealand.
Nationwide Raids
Beyond Lagos, NDLEA operatives carried out several successful operations across states:
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Adamawa: Over 233,800 tramadol pills seized in multiple raids, with two suspects arrested.
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Zamfara: A 40-year-old suspect, Hammed Danladi Aliyu, was caught transporting 1,099.4kg of skunk in a truck.
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Yobe: Two suspects arrested with 14,000 tramadol capsules along Damaturu-Potiskum road.
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Taraba: 28-year-old Anas Hamisu nabbed with three sacks of skunk weighing 25.5kg.
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Edo: NDLEA destroyed two cannabis farms spanning 4.53 hectares with an estimated yield of 11,330kg. Three suspects were arrested.
The Bigger Picture
These arrests underscore NDLEA’s relentless war against drug trafficking. While many traffickers are lured by promises of quick cash, their stories often end in arrest, shame, and lifelong consequences.
As Babafemi noted, the agency remains committed to dismantling drug cartels and ensuring that traffickers are brought to justice.
