Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested two businessmen and a Canada-based nurse for attempting to traffic illegal drugs through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
The arrests involved cocaine pellets and parcels of “Loud,” a synthetic cannabis strain.
The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, confirmed the arrests and gave details of each case.
Ihejirika Okechukwu Emmanuel, a 51-year-old businessman who frequently travels to Thailand, was arrested on October 15, 2024, while trying to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
A body scan revealed that he had swallowed illicit drugs. He later expelled five large wraps of cocaine, weighing 400 grams.
In his confession, Ihejirika said, “I needed the money to support my fish importation business,” admitting that he was promised payment upon delivering the drugs to Thailand.
In another case, Iwuagwu Ikedi Victory, a 26-year-old businessman, was arrested on October 17, 2024, after arriving from Brazil via Addis Ababa. He excreted one pellet of cocaine weighing 22 grams. He confessed that he had swallowed 30 pellets in Brazil but passed 29 of them in Addis Ababa before delivering them to someone. Iwuagwu said he was to receive ₦2.5 million for smuggling the drugs.
A Canada-based nurse, Usman Grace Khadijat Olami, was also arrested on October 4, 2024, after arriving from Toronto via Paris. During a search, NDLEA officers found 70 parcels of Canadian Loud, weighing 35.70 kilograms, in her luggage. Usman claimed she brought the drugs at the request of her boyfriend.
NDLEA officers also made other significant seizures at Nigerian seaports and highways during the same period. They intercepted 162,351 bottles of codeine syrup and seized drugs worth over ₦7 billion in total.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the officers involved in the arrests and seizures. He stated, “These successes show our commitment to reducing drug trafficking and abuse in Nigeria.”
