A 62-year-old Lagos-based businessman, Nwabueze Izueke, has been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano State for attempting to traffic 95 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.589 kilograms to China. Reports say Izueke planned to use the money to complete a house he is building in his village.
NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi said Izueke was apprehended on Saturday, January 31, 2026, during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940 to China via Addis Ababa. A body scan confirmed that he had ingested the cocaine.
“Under observation, the suspect expelled 95 pellets of the drug in seven separate excretions,” Babafemi stated. “He admitted that he turned to drug trafficking to raise funds for his country home in Iwollo, Enugu State.”
The arrest is part of a nationwide NDLEA operation that has led to multiple drug seizures and arrests. In Abuja, officers recovered 627.7 kilograms of skunk, a type of cannabis, from a makeshift warehouse in Fums Plaza, Kubwa, and intercepted methamphetamine concealed in MP3 speakers destined for Abuja and Kaduna, leading to the arrest of four suspects.
Further operations across the country led to additional arrests and seizures:
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FCT & Kaduna: Ebube Okeke, Evans Ugwu, Mohammed Eze Arinze, and Friday Michael were arrested for methamphetamine trafficking.
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Taraba State: NDLEA intercepted meth hidden in packs of yoghurt.
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Oyo State (Ibadan): Adeniyi Adeola, aka Prince, was arrested with 10,820 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 117,820 tramadol capsules. Jimoh Nurudeen, 40, and his accomplice Ogundipe Yusuf, 27, were apprehended for producing synthetic cannabis, with chemicals, skunk, cash, and two vehicles seized.
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Imo State: A couple, Izuchukwu Azubuike, 37, and Ifunaya Mmadueke, 32, were arrested with 203 kilograms of skunk.
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Ondo State: Officers recovered 420 kilograms of skunk in Ikun Akoko.
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Other states: Large quantities of tramadol, skunk, and other illicit substances were seized in Kwara, Imo, Ondo, Lagos, and Enugu states.
Babafemi confirmed that these arrests and seizures demonstrate the NDLEA’s continued efforts to curb drug trafficking across Nigeria.
