Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 62-year-old Lagos-based businessman, Nwabueze Nicholas Izueke, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, for attempting to smuggle cocaine to China.
Izueke, who deals in clothing and auto spare parts, was arrested on Saturday, January 31, 2026, during the outward clearance of passengers travelling to China via Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940. A body scan conducted by NDLEA officers revealed that he had ingested illicit drugs. He was subsequently placed under excretion observation, during which he expelled 95 jumbo-sized wraps of cocaine weighing 1.589 kilograms.
In his statement, the suspect said he ventured into drug trafficking to raise funds to complete a house he is building in his hometown, Iwollo, Enugu State.
In a related operation, NDLEA operatives in the Federal Capital Territory recovered 627.7 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis, from a makeshift warehouse at Fums Plaza, Kubwa. The agency also foiled an attempt to smuggle methamphetamine concealed in MP3 speakers from Enugu to Abuja and Kaduna. One suspect, Ebube Okeke, was arrested in Zuba, FCT, while three others — Evans Ugwu, Mohammed Eze Arinze and Friday Michael — were apprehended in Kaduna while attempting to collect the drugs.
Similarly, NDLEA officers at the Dan-anacha patrol point in Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba State intercepted a suspect, Yusuf Abubakar, 32, who was transporting yogurt packs from Lagos to Adamawa State. A search of the consignments revealed 1.8 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed inside some of the yogurt packs.
In Oyo State, NDLEA arrested a Beninoise national, Shuaibu Abdulrahman, 29, at Ibudo-Igboho village, where 149.6 kilograms of skunk were recovered. Another suspect, Adeniyi Adeola, also known as “Prince,” was arrested in Ibadan with large quantities of tramadol and pentazocine injections. A drug kingpin, Jimoh Nurudeen, who operates a facility producing synthetic cannabis known as Colorado, was also arrested in Ibadan alongside an accomplice, with drugs, precursor chemicals, cash, and vehicles recovered.
Further seizures were recorded in Kwara State, where tramadol capsules were found concealed in a fuel tanker travelling from Lagos to Maiduguri; in Imo State, where a couple was arrested with 203 kilograms of skunk; and in Ondo State, where 420 kilograms of skunk were recovered from a bush in Ikun Akoko.
At the Marine Command in Badagry, Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted 31 wraps of cocaine hidden in a handbag from a suspect arriving from Côte d’Ivoire. Additional arrests and seizures were made in Lagos and Enugu states involving various illicit substances.
Meanwhile, the agency said its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns continued nationwide, targeting schools, communities, and traditional institutions.
Commending the officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), urged personnel across the country to sustain their professionalism and commitment in both drug supply and drug demand reduction efforts.