Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a previously convicted drug trafficker and three others over an attempt to export cocaine concealed in liquid starch sachets to the United Kingdom, while recording multiple large drug seizures across several states.
The suspects were apprehended following the interception of 75 parcels of cocaine weighing 1.50 kilograms at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos. The drugs were ingeniously concealed in factory-sealed sachets of cold-water starch meant for export to the UK.
Three cargo agents — Jubrin Firdausi Hassana, Kuku Daniel Oluwasegun and Igwe Chioma Jane — were arrested on Saturday, 20 December 2025, shortly after the seizure. Further investigations identified 37-year-old Nwobodo Chidiebere Basil as the mastermind behind the shipment. He was subsequently arrested on Sunday, 21 December, at a relaxation centre in Ikeja.
NDLEA records revealed that Nwobodo had previously been arrested in May 2023 for trafficking 30.10 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in powdered custard containers destined for London. He was convicted by a Federal High Court, sentenced to five years’ imprisonment with an option of a ₦7 million fine and one month of community service, which he paid before returning to the drug trade.
In a series of coordinated nationwide operations, NDLEA operatives on Monday, 22 December, destroyed cannabis warehouses and recovered 638 kilograms of skunk in Ara forest, Ara-Ekiti, Ekiti State. On the same day, 1,205 blocks of compressed cannabis sativa weighing 883.1 kilograms were recovered from three Toyota Camry vehicles intercepted along the Igara-Auchi road in Edo State.
In Cross River State, raids conducted on Sunday, 21 December, at Agoi-Ibami community in Yakurr Local Government Area led to the arrest of three suspects — Freedom Jonah Akpama (27), David Itam David (30) and Nelson Arikpo Osam (26) — with a combined 908 kilograms of skunk. Another suspect, Joy Oisamaye, 42, was arrested with 38 kilograms of cannabis along the Abaji-Abuja expressway while travelling from Edo State.
Further arrests were recorded in Lagos and Taraba states, where NDLEA operatives seized additional quantities of skunk from multiple suspects between 23 and 25 December. In Gombe State, a 65-year-old driver, Sada’u Mohammed, was arrested along the Gombe-Biu highway with 300 ampoules of pentazocine injections, 27,900 pills of tramadol and other opioids.
Meanwhile, a 47-year-old businessman, Ignatius Egbochie, also known as “Brown,” was arrested in Apapa, Lagos, in connection with the seizure of 26 kilograms of “Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, at the Tincan Seaport earlier in December.
Across the country, NDLEA officers also intensified their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, religious centres and communities.
Commending the operatives involved, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised their professionalism and urged all commands to remain vigilant during and beyond the festive season.