Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have thwarted an attempt by a 59-year-old businessman, Chijioke Igbokwe, to smuggle 81 pellets of cocaine to Beirut, Lebanon. The suspect, who ingested the illicit substances in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was saved by emergency surgery after 57 pellets remained stuck in his system for seven days.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi confirmed in a statement that Igbokwe was arrested on January 26, 2025, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, upon arrival via an Ethiopian Airlines flight. A body scan revealed the drugs in his system, leading to his detention for excretion observation.
Investigations revealed that Igbokwe, a clothing trader in Lagos, had traveled to Ethiopia on January 22, ingested the cocaine on January 23, and was en route to deliver the consignment in Beirut for a fee of $3,000. However, he was denied entry into Lebanon for failing to meet the minimum financial requirement of $2,000 and was deported to Addis Ababa. Unable to expel the drugs, he returned to Lagos, where NDLEA operatives apprehended him.
Following five days of unsuccessful excretion, medical intervention at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) was required. With complications arising, his wife and brother consented to an exploratory laparotomy, successfully removing the remaining pellets. A total of 1.943 kilograms of cocaine were recovered.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives in Lagos intercepted 2,000 kilograms of Ghanaian Loud, a strain of cannabis, at Lekki beach and arrested two suspects, Sunday Awoyede and Christopher Cletus, while they attempted to load the consignment into a truck. Another suspect, Lawal Idris Olasunkanmi, was arrested in Mushin with 55 kilograms of skunk.
NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) praised the officers for their vigilance, warning drug traffickers of the risks they pose to themselves and society. He also commended the agency’s ongoing nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization campaigns aimed at curbing both drug supply and demand.
