Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 74-year-old man at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after discovering 11 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in his luggage, in what authorities describe as part of an intensified nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking networks.
The suspect, identified as Ikwuakalom Emeka, was intercepted on Saturday at the airport’s departure hall while attempting to board a British Airways flight BA082 bound for Heathrow Airport in London, United Kingdom.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, officers discovered the cocaine hidden inside food items, including ground dry pepper, which had been carefully wrapped in foil papers and balloons in an apparent attempt to evade airport security screening.
Babafemi said the suspect claimed he was travelling to the United Kingdom for vacation before the illicit drugs were uncovered during a thorough search of his luggage.
The arrest forms part of a series of coordinated anti-narcotics operations carried out by the NDLEA across several states in recent days, leading to the seizure of large quantities of opioids and cannabis and the arrest of multiple suspects linked to drug distribution networks.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence raided a hotel in Victoria Island, where they arrested Maryam Olalowo while she allegedly attempted to sell cocaine and a cannabis strain known as Canadian Loud. She was reportedly found with her three children, including an infant.
During interrogation, the suspect reportedly informed investigators that the drugs belonged to her husband, Ibrahim Olalowo Olatunji, who was subsequently arrested later the same day. Authorities also discovered that he had previously been arrested, convicted and sentenced to two-and-a-half years imprisonment in 2015 for a similar drug-related offence.
Further operations on Lagos Island led to the arrest of two suspects at Ebute Ero with 68,000 pills of tramadol of varying strengths loaded in a truck allegedly destined for the Benin Republic.
A follow-up raid at Idumota Market resulted in the arrest of the alleged owner of the consignment, Nnamdi Cyprian, after officers recovered a parcel containing 1,000 tramadol tablets prepared for dispatch through a waybill service. Another operation at the market days later led to the arrest of Nwanosike Kelvin and the recovery of 47,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection from his shop.
The agency’s operations also extended to northern Nigeria. In Kano, NDLEA operatives arrested a suspect with 386 kilogrammes of skunk, while another suspect was apprehended in the Gwagwalada area of the Federal Capital Territory with 282.2 kilogrammes of the same substance.
In Edo State, operatives raided cannabis farms within the Egwa Forest Reserve in Orhionmwon Local Government Area, arresting a suspect and destroying more than 4.2 tonnes of skunk cultivated across two plantations.
Meanwhile, authorities intercepted 339,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup concealed in two containers at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos during a joint inspection involving NDLEA, customs officials and other security agencies. The containers had reportedly been placed under surveillance following intelligence reports suggesting they were being used to smuggle opioids into the country.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Buba Marwa, commended officers involved in the operations across Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Edo State and the Federal Capital Territory, urging them to sustain the momentum in tackling both the supply and demand aspects of drug abuse.
He also highlighted the agency’s ongoing War Against Drug Abuse campaign, which continues to reach schools and communities nationwide through sensitisation programmes aimed at discouraging drug use among young people.
