The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intensified its nationwide offensive against drug trafficking with the arrest of a Brazil-based Nigerian businessman and the seizure of over 9,939 kilograms of illicit drugs across Lagos, Niger, Edo, Anambra, Ondo and Kano states.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, NDLEA operatives on Thursday, January 29, 2026, arrested 47-year-old Uche Franklin Onyekwere, a returnee from Brazil, for attempting to smuggle cocaine into the country. He was intercepted at the arrival hall during the inward clearance of South African Airways passengers arriving from Brazil via Johannesburg, following processed intelligence.
A body scan confirmed illicit drug concealment, leading to a strip search during which a large parcel of cocaine was discovered wrapped around his right thigh. Further search revealed two additional wraps concealed in the soles of a pair of flat shoes worn by the suspect. In all, three wraps of cocaine with a gross weight of 1.60 kilograms were recovered.
In a preliminary interview, Onyekwere disclosed that he purchased the cocaine in Brazil with the intention of reselling it in Nigeria to raise capital for his business and finance the naming ceremony of his newborn child. He claimed to have lived in São Paulo since 2008, where he has operated a toy business for about nine years.
In a related operation at the Tincan Seaport, Lagos, NDLEA officers on Wednesday, January 28, uncovered 55 jumbo bags of Canadian Loud weighing 1,183 kilograms. The illicit consignment, imported from Montreal, Canada, was concealed inside two vehicles—a Hyundai SUV and a Toyota Matrix—during a joint examination involving the NDLEA, Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.
In Niger State, NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence intercepted a long truck along the Dei-Dei–Abuja Expressway in the early hours of Tuesday, January 26. Three suspects—Andy Chidogu, 49; Kenneth Ogene, 45; and Sadiq Olanrewaju, 27—were arrested with 176 bags of skunk weighing 2,735 kilograms and one kilogram of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis, concealed in the truck. Investigations revealed the drugs were loaded in Ekpoma, Edo State, after the vehicle had initially delivered bags of flour from Lagos.
Further operations in Edo State led to the arrest of Shaibu Yusuf along the Auchi–Abuja Expressway with 792 kilograms of skunk concealed in charcoal bags. In another raid supported by the Nigerian Army, NDLEA operatives destroyed a cannabis farm spanning over 1.6 hectares at Ebora Camp, Ilushi, in Esan South East Local Government Area, where 4,063.675 kilograms of skunk were uprooted. An additional 328 kilograms of processed cannabis and seeds were recovered, while four suspects were arrested.
In Anambra State, operatives intercepted a cement truck at Upper Iweka, Onitsha, on Wednesday, January 28. A search of the vehicle revealed 345.2 kilograms of skunk concealed beneath bags of cement. In Ondo State, two suspects were arrested in Akure North in connection with the seizure of 473 kilograms of skunk.
In Kano State, NDLEA officers arrested Abdullahi Usman, 45, on Monday, January 26, with 12,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection, while 4,390 tramadol pills were recovered from another suspect, Musa Shuaibu, 42, arrested in Gaya on Tuesday, January 27.
Additional arrests were made in Lagos and at the Seme border in Badagry, where skunk concealed in luggage, sound systems and cereal packs was intercepted.
Across the country, NDLEA commands also sustained the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign, conducting enlightenment lectures in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities in states including Yobe, Abia, Enugu, Lagos, Katsina and Oyo.
Commending officers of the MMIA, Tincan, Niger, Lagos, Edo, Anambra, Ondo and Kano Commands for their professionalism, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), urged continued commitment to a balanced approach combining drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction nationwide.
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