Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a Brazil-based Nigerian businessman at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, after allegedly discovering shirts and towels impregnated with liquid cocaine in his luggage.
The arrest formed part of a nationwide anti-drug operation that led to the seizure of more than two tonnes of illicit substances across the country.
The suspect, 41-year-old Abugu Ikechukwu, was apprehended on arrival from São Paulo, Brazil, via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
According to the NDLEA, a thorough search of his luggage uncovered 14 shirts and towels allegedly soaked in liquid cocaine, dried and carefully ironed in an attempt to evade security checks.
NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, said forensic analysis confirmed that the concealed narcotics weighed 6.1 kilogrammes.
During interrogation, Abugu reportedly told investigators that he had lived in Brazil for over 14 years, where he operates an African restaurant. He said he travelled to Nigeria to visit his family and purchase food items for his business.
The arrest was part of a nationwide crackdown that saw NDLEA operatives recover massive consignments of cannabis, tramadol and other controlled substances in multiple states and the Federal Capital Territory.
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In a development highlighting the growing reach of drug trafficking networks, the agency also arrested two persons living with disabilities for alleged involvement in the illicit drug trade. A 60-year-old woman, Chidimma Sunday, was taken into custody in Abia State after being caught with 1.8 kilogrammes of skunk, while 28-year-old Abubakar Usman was arrested in Rivers State with cannabis, methamphetamine, tramadol, diazepam and other prohibited substances.
In Taraba State, NDLEA operatives raided the warehouse of a suspected drug kingpin, Ali Adamu, at Maihula village in Bali Local Government Area, where 63 jumbo bags of cannabis sativa weighing 1,121.5 kilogrammes were recovered.
Another major haul was recorded in Lagos where operatives seized 1,102 kilogrammes of Ghana Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, around the Alaba International Market in Ojo.
The agency also intercepted a vehicle along Bode Saadu Road in Kwara State carrying 304 kilogrammes of compressed cannabis blocks concealed in a Toyota jeep. Two suspects, Nasiru Hamza and Muhammad Sani, were arrested in connection with the shipment.
In Abuja, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Gwagwalada Expressway arrested Emmanuel Nnadi and recovered thousands of pills of tramadol, pregabalin and ecstasy, as well as hundreds of bottles of codeine-based syrup.
Other operations in Delta, Gombe and Kano states resulted in the arrest of several suspected traffickers and the seizure of additional consignments of cannabis and pharmaceutical opioids.
Beyond enforcement activities, the agency said it sustained its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through sensitisation programmes in schools, communities and traditional institutions across several states.
Meanwhile, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Buba Marwa, commended officers involved in the operations, describing the seizures and arrests as further evidence of the agency’s commitment to reducing drug supply while intensifying public awareness against substance abuse.
He urged commands across the country to sustain the momentum and continue surpassing previous operational records in the fight against illicit drugs.
