Nigeria’s anti-narcotics agency has arrested a 62-year-old Lagos businessman at Kano’s international airport after discovering nearly 1.6 kilograms of cocaine concealed in his stomach as he prepared to travel to China, officials said.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency said Nwabueze Nicholas Izueke was arrested Jan. 31 at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport during passenger clearance for an Ethiopian Airlines flight to China via Addis Ababa. A body scan showed he had ingested illicit drugs, and he was placed under medical observation.
NDLEA officials said Izueke later excreted 95 jumbo-sized pellets of cocaine weighing 1.589 kilograms over seven rounds. In a statement to investigators, he said he turned to drug trafficking to raise money to complete a house he is building in his hometown of Iwollo in southeastern Enugu state. He told authorities he runs a clothing and auto spare parts business in Lagos.
In separate operations nationwide, NDLEA officers recovered large quantities of narcotics and arrested multiple suspects over the past week.
In Abuja, officers seized 627.7 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis, from a makeshift warehouse at Fums Plaza in Kubwa. The agency also foiled an attempt to smuggle methamphetamine hidden in MP3 speakers from Enugu to Abuja and Kaduna. The consignments were intercepted Feb. 6 on a passenger bus in Abuja.
A follow-up operation led to the arrest of Ebube Okeke in Zuba, near Abuja, after officers traced one parcel containing 173 grams of methamphetamine to him. Three other suspects — Evans Ugwu, Mohammed Eze Arinze and Friday Michael — were arrested Feb. 7 in Kaduna when they arrived to collect a second consignment weighing 28 grams, NDLEA said.
In Taraba state, officers at a checkpoint in Gassol local government area intercepted a 32-year-old suspect, Yusuf Abubakar, who was transporting packs of yogurt from Lagos to Mubi in northeastern Adamawa state. A search revealed 1.8 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed inside some of the yogurt packs.
In southwestern Oyo state, NDLEA officers arrested a 29-year-old Beninese national, Shuaibu Abdulrahman, on Feb. 5 at Ibudo-Igboho village, where they seized 149.6 kilograms of skunk hidden in rice chaff.
Also in Ibadan, the state capital, officers arrested a suspect identified as Adeniyi Adeola, also known as Prince, at Agbeni market on Feb. 4. Drugs recovered from his truck included more than 10,800 ampoules of pentazocine injections and 117,820 capsules of tramadol.
In another Ibadan operation, officers arrested a suspected drug producer, Jimoh Nurudeen, 40, on Feb. 7 at Badeku, along with an alleged accomplice, Ogundipe Yusuf, 27. NDLEA said Nurudeen operates a facility used to produce “Colorado,” a synthetic cannabis. Items recovered included precursor chemicals, cannabis, production equipment, about 7.4 million naira ($8,000) in cash and two vehicles.
In Kwara state, officers intercepted a fuel tanker traveling from Lagos to Maiduguri in northeastern Borno state on Feb. 7 and recovered 395,400 capsules of tramadol concealed inside the truck. The driver was detained for questioning.
Elsewhere, a couple — Izuchukwu Azubuike, 37, and Ifunaya Mmadueke, 32 — were arrested in Imo state with 203 kilograms of skunk, while officers in Ondo state recovered 420 kilograms of cannabis hidden in a bush in Akoko.
In Lagos, NDLEA marine officers seized 31 wraps of cocaine concealed in a handbag from a passenger arriving by boat from Ivory Coast at Yekeme in Badagry. Another suspect was arrested on Lagos Island with 3.6 kilograms of Canadian Loud and Colorado. In Enugu state, officers also arrested a 37-year-old suspect, Emeka Okeke, and seized quantities of skunk, methamphetamine, cocaine and MDMA, along with cash.
NDLEA said its officers also continued nationwide drug abuse prevention and awareness campaigns in schools, religious centers, workplaces and communities during the week.
The agency’s chairman, retired Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers involved in the arrests and seizures and urged personnel nationwide to sustain their efforts in reducing both drug supply and demand.
