NDLEA Arrests Three Individuals in Lagos Airport Drug Bust

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended two Nigerian businessmen and a nurse from Canada for drug smuggling at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.

Identified as Ihejirika Okechukwu Emmanuel, Iwuagwu Ikedi Victory, and Usman Grace Khadijat Olami, the individuals attempted to import and export cocaine pellets along with parcels of synthetic cannabis known as Loud.

Specifically, Ihejirika was detained on October 15, 2024, while trying to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Thailand via Addis Ababa. NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi reported that a body scan revealed he had ingested cocaine, resulting in the excretion of five wraps weighing 400 grams.

The agency indicated that Ihejirika confessed he was anticipating payment upon delivery of the drugs in Thailand, intending to use the money to enhance his fish import business.

Similarly, Iwuagwu, aged 26, was intercepted on October 15 as he returned from Brazil on an Ethiopian Airlines flight. Body scans confirmed he had ingested drugs, and he later expelled a pellet of cocaine weighing 22 grams. He admitted to transporting about 30 wraps from Brazil and was promised N2.5 million for the trafficking effort.

In a related case, nurse Usman Grace Khadijat Olami was arrested on October 4 after arriving from Toronto via Paris. Authorities found 70 parcels of Loud cannabis, totaling 35.70 kg, in her luggage. She claimed she came to Nigeria at her boyfriend’s request to deliver the drugs.

Additionally, at the seaports, NDLEA operatives seized a significant quantity of illicit substances, including over 162,000 bottles of codeine syrup and 7.2 million pills of opioids, with a combined street value exceeding N7 billion. These seizures occurred during thorough inspections in collaboration with customs and security agencies.

In separate operations, NDLEA arrested individuals in various states for drug-related offenses, including the capture of Sunday Jonathan Ogenyi in Bauchi state, who was caught with over 76,000 tramadol pills, and three suspects arrested in Ondo state with 672 kg of cannabis.

In Edo state, law enforcement destroyed over 10,590 kg of cannabis and apprehended suspects in the process. Other drug trafficking incidents were reported in Lagos, revealing extensive networks involved in illegal drugs, including methamphetamine and cannabis.

The Chairman of NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, praised the performance of agency operatives across various locations for their successful operations in combating drug trafficking and emphasized the importance of their balanced approach to managing drug supply and demand issues.