The National Narcotics Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a Lagos-based businessman, Mr. Nwabueze, Mr. Nicholas Izueke, for allegedly attempting to traffick 1.589 kg of cocaine by taking 95 wraps.
He was arrested at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), according to a statement by Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s Media and Advocacy Director.
The arrests are part of a broader nationwide attack by authorities on drug trafficking and abuse, which has resulted in multiple seizures and detentions in multiple states.
What NDLEA said
According to NDLEA, the 62-year-old man was intercepted during immigration in Makia on Saturday, January 31, 2026, as he prepared to fly to China via Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940.
“During a routine physical examination, he tested positive for ingestion of illegal drugs, and his excrement was placed under observation,” the NDLEA said in a statement.
The agency said that under surveillance, Izueke expelled a total of 95 jumbo-sized wraps of Class A drugs on seven separate occasions, and that cocaine was found hidden in his stomach.
While under surveillance, the suspect claimed to be in the clothing and automobile spare parts business in Lagos. He disclosed that he decided to engage in illegal drug trafficking in order to raise enough funds to complete the country house he was building in Iwolo village, Enugu state.
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In the Federal Capital Territory, NDLEA operatives recovered 627.7 kilograms of the potent cannabis strain Skunk from a makeshift warehouse in Kubwa and thwarted an attempt to smuggle methamphetamine hidden inside MP3 speakers from Enugu to Abuja and Kaduna.
An intelligence agency-led patrol intercepted methamphetamine hidden in yogurt packs at a checkpoint in Taraba State, and discovered 1.8 kilograms of methamphetamine during a search of a consignment bound for Adamawa State. Separate raids in Oyo, Kwara, Imo, Ondo and Lagos states resulted in the arrest of other suspects who found cannabis, tramadol, pentazocine injections and cocaine hidden in the handbags of passengers arriving by boat from Ivory Coast.
Other main duties
In Ibadan, NDLEA officials arrested a suspected drug lord operating a facility producing synthetic cannabis Colorado and recovered precursor chemicals, skunk and a large amount of cash, along with two vehicles.
In Kwara State, NDLEA operatives seized about 400,000 tramadol capsules hidden in a Maiduguri-bound fuel tanker, while in Imo State a couple was arrested with a 203kg skunk. In Ondo State, 420 kg of the substance was recovered from Ikun Akoko bush. Other suspects were detained across Lagos with 31 packages of cocaine hidden in handbags and 3.6kg of Canadian Loud and Colorado seized on Lagos Island.
NDLEA also said it continues its War on Drug Abuse (WADA) awareness campaign in schools, worship centers, workplaces and communities across the country to increase public awareness about the dangers of drug trafficking and abuse.
What you need to know
NDLEA has repeatedly thwarted cocaine traffickers who attempt to smuggle cocaine by ingesting wraps and concealing them in their bodies while traveling through airports.
The agency arrested a 52-year-old businessman at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport after a body scan revealed he had ingested and concealed cocaine in his body. The operatives quickly recovered 58 wraps, and after observing the excrement for several days, the suspect expelled 69 more wraps, bringing the total weight of 127 wraps to approximately 1.388 kilograms. In April 2024, NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos intercepted a passenger bound for Delhi, India, who had swallowed 80 packages of cocaine. Under observation for several days, the suspect expelled pellets weighing approximately 1 kilogram as part of a human trafficking attempt.
A similar smuggling attempt was recorded at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos in early 2026, when the NDLEA arrested a Brazilian-based Nigerian businessman who had cocaine hidden both on his body and in his shoes.
