The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a 42-year-old Angolan businessman, Mbala Dajou Abuba, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, for attempting to traffic a large amount of cocaine.
The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, confirmed the arrest in a statement on Sunday. According to him, Abuba was apprehended on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, at the airport’s screening point while trying to board Egypt Air flight MS 880 to Istanbul, Turkey, via Cairo.
“After his body scan result confirmed he ingested illicit drugs, he was placed under excretion observation, during which he expelled 120 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.829 kilograms in seven excretions,” Babafemi said.
Abuba, who hails from the Zaire province in Angola, claimed he was into the business of township delivery services before getting involved in drug trafficking.
In a related development, the NDLEA also foiled an attempt by an auto spare parts dealer, Okeke Ebuka Igwe, to send 1.10kg of cocaine hidden in vehicle propellers to Angola through the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos. He was arrested on Monday, February 24, 2025, following credible intelligence.
“During an interview, Okeke said he is a businessman dealing in auto parts at ASPANDA, Trade Fair Complex, Ojo, Lagos,” Babafemi stated.
Furthermore, the agency intercepted a large consignment of cocaine weighing 5.40 kilograms, which was being transported to Owerri, Imo State, in a Toyota Sienna bus. The suspect, Ezechi Iyke Cyprian, was arrested on Sunday, February 23, 2025, after weeks of surveillance.
In addition, NDLEA operatives at the Tincan seaport in Lagos discovered 128 parcels of Canadian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, concealed in two mattresses hidden in the trunk of a Toyota Venza car imported from Canada. The consignment, weighing 63.75kg, was found during a joint inspection by NDLEA, Customs, and other security agencies on Friday, February 28, 2025.
“The consignee of the shipment, 44-year-old Bamidele Joseph, has been arrested and is in custody,” Babafemi added.
The NDLEA reiterated its commitment to tackling drug trafficking and ensuring that all suspects face the full wrath of the law.
