Muhammed Abubakar, Reporting
OPERATIVES of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a Brazil-based Nigerian businessman at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, for allegedly attempting to smuggle cocaine concealed in his private parts and the soles of his footwear, as the agency recorded sweeping drug seizures across several states.
The suspect, Uche Franklin Onyekwere, 47, was apprehended on Thursday, 29 January 2026, at the arrival hall of the Lagos airport during the inward clearance of South African Airways passengers arriving from Brazil via Johannesburg. Acting on processed intelligence, NDLEA operatives subjected him to a body scan, which confirmed the presence of illicit drugs.
A subsequent strip search uncovered a large wrap of a white powdery substance, later confirmed to be cocaine, tied around his right thigh. Further inspection revealed two additional wraps concealed in the soles of a pair of flat shoes he was wearing. In total, three large wraps of cocaine weighing 1.60 kilogrammes were recovered.
During preliminary interrogation, Onyekwere disclosed that he purchased the cocaine in Brazil with the intention of selling it in Nigeria to raise funds to expand his business and finance the naming ceremony of his newborn child. He claimed to have lived in São Paulo, Brazil, since 2008, where he operates a toy business.
Meanwhile, at the Tincan Seaport, Lagos, NDLEA officers, in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, uncovered 55 jumbo bags of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 1,183 kilogrammes. The consignment, imported from Montreal, Canada, was discovered on Wednesday, 28 January, concealed inside a container housing a Hyundai SUV and a Toyota Matrix vehicle.
In Niger State, operatives intercepted a long truck marked T 31589 LA along the Dei-Dei–Abuja Expressway in the early hours of Tuesday, 26 January. Three suspects—Andy Chidogu (49), Kenneth Ogene (45), and Sadiq Olanrewaju (27)—were arrested with 176 bags of skunk weighing 2,735 kilogrammes, alongside one kilogramme of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis. Investigations revealed that the truck driver, Ogene, had transported flour from Lagos to Ekpoma, Edo State, before allegedly agreeing to convey the illicit drugs for a fee of N1.7 million.
Further operations in Edo State led to the arrest of Shaibu Yusuf along the Auchi–Abuja Expressway with 66 bags of skunk weighing 792 kilogrammes, concealed in charcoal sacks and reportedly destined for Katsina. In a separate raid, NDLEA operatives, supported by the Nigerian Army, destroyed 4,063.675 kilogrammes of skunk cultivated on over 1.6 hectares of farmland at Ebora Camp, Ilushi, in Esan South-East Local Government Area.
An additional 328 kilogrammes of processed cannabis and seeds were recovered, while four suspects were arrested.
In Anambra State, a cement truck was intercepted at Upper Iweka, Onitsha, on Wednesday, 28 January. A search revealed 345.2 kilogrammes of skunk hidden beneath bags of cement. One of the occupants, Abum Okeke (42), was identified as the owner of the illicit cargo.
NDLEA operatives in Ondo State arrested Tunde Ogundele (39) and Soji Elegbelye (46) at Eleyewo community in Akure North in connection with the seizure of 473 kilogrammes of skunk. In Kano, Abdullahi Usman (45) was apprehended with 12,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection, while another suspect, Musa Shuaibu (42), was arrested with 4,390 tramadol pills in Gaya.
In Lagos, Oragwan Ekene was arrested at Okeyson Park, Alaba, with 15.5 kilogrammes of skunk reportedly en route to Anambra State. At the Seme border in Badagry, NDLEA officers recovered 3.5 kilogrammes of skunk concealed in a sound system and cereal packs from Omang Peter Edward, who was arriving from Cotonou, Benin Republic.
Across the country, the agency also sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, conducting sensitisation programmes in schools, religious centres, workplaces and communities nationwide.
Commending the officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), urged commands nationwide to maintain a balanced approach to drug supply reduction and demand reduction efforts.
