The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a Lagos‑based businessman Nwabueze, Nicholas Izueke, for attempting to traffic 1.589 kilograms of cocaine by ingesting 95 wraps.
According to a statement by Femi Babafemi, Director of Media & Advocacy for the NDLEA, he was arrested at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA).
The arrest forms part of a wider nationwide offensive by the agency against drug trafficking and abuse, which has led to multiple seizures and detentions across several states.
What NDLEA said
According to NDLEA, the 62-year-old was intercepted on Saturday, January 31, 2026, during outward passenger clearance at MAKIA while preparing to fly to China via Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940.
- “During a routine body scan, he tested positive for ingesting illicit drugs and was placed under excretion observation,” NDLEA said in the statement.
The agency said that under observation, Izueke expelled a total of 95 jumbo‑sized wraps of the class A drug in seven separate excretions, confirming the presence of cocaine hidden inside his stomach.
While under observation, the suspect claims he’s into clothing and auto spare parts business in Lagos. He disclosed that he decided to engage in illicit drug trafficking to raise enough money to complete the country home he’s building in his village, Iwollo, Enugu state.
More details
In the Federal Capital Territory, NDLEA operatives recovered 627.7 kilograms of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis, from a makeshift warehouse in Kubwa and disrupted attempts to smuggle methamphetamine hidden inside MP3 speakers from Enugu to Abuja and Kaduna.
- Intelligence‑led patrols also led to the interception of methamphetamine concealed in packs of yogurt at a checkpoint in Taraba State, where 1.8 kilograms of the substance was uncovered during a search of cargo bound for Adamawa State.
- Separate operations across Oyo, Kwara, Imo, Ondo and Lagos states resulted in the arrest of other suspects and seizures of cannabis, tramadol, pentazocine injections, and cocaine concealed in a handbag from a passenger arriving by boat from Cote d’Ivoire.
Other major operations
At Ibadan, NDLEA officers apprehended a suspected drug kingpin who operates a facility producing Colorado, a synthetic cannabis, and recovered precursor chemicals, skunk and significant sums of cash alongside two vehicles.
- In Kwara State, NDLEA operatives intercepted almost 400,000 capsules of tramadol concealed in a fuel tanker bound for Maiduguri, while in Imo State a couple was arrested with 203 kilograms of skunk. In Ondo State, 420 kilograms of the same substance were recovered in a bush at Ikun Akoko.
- Across Lagos, other suspects were detained with 31 wraps of cocaine hidden in a handbag and 3.6 kilograms of Canadian Loud and Colorado seized on Lagos Island.
NDLEA said it also continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities nationwide to deepen public awareness of the dangers of drug trafficking and abuse.
What you should know
NDLEA has repeatedly intercepted cocaine traffickers who attempt to smuggle the drug by ingesting wraps and concealing them in their bodies during airport travel.
- The agency arrested a 52‑year‑old businessman at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport after a body scan revealed he had ingested and hidden cocaine inside his body. Operatives recovered 58 wraps immediately and, after days under excretion observation, the suspect expelled an additional 69 wraps, bringing the total to 127 wraps weighing about 1.388 kilograms.
- In April 2024, NDLEA operatives at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, intercepted a passenger bound for Delhi, India, who had swallowed 80 wraps of cocaine. Over several days under observation, the suspect expelled pellets weighing nearly a kilogram as part of his attempted trafficking attempt
Similar smuggling attempts were recorded at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos in early 2026, when NDLEA arrested a Brazil‑based Nigerian businessman who concealed cocaine both in his body and in his footwear.
