Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a Brazil-based Nigerian businessman, Uche Franklin Onyekwere, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, for attempting to smuggle cocaine into the country by concealing the drug in his private parts and footwear.
Onyekwere was arrested on Thursday, 29 January 2026, during the inward clearance of passengers arriving on a South African Airways flight from Brazil via Johannesburg, following actionable intelligence. A body scan conducted on the 47-year-old suspect confirmed the presence of illicit substances, prompting a strip search that led to the discovery of a large wrap of cocaine tied to his right thigh. Two additional wraps were also found hidden in the soles of his flat shoes.
In total, three wraps of cocaine weighing 1.60 kilograms were recovered from the suspect. During preliminary interrogation, Onyekwere disclosed that he bought the cocaine in Brazil with the intention of selling it in Nigeria to raise capital for his business and fund the naming ceremony of his newborn child. He claimed to have lived in São Paulo, Brazil, since 2008, where he operates a toy business.
Meanwhile, NDLEA officers at the Tincan Seaport, Lagos, in a joint examination with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies on Wednesday, 28 January, uncovered 55 jumbo bags of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 1,183 kilograms. The consignment, imported from Montreal, Canada, was concealed inside two vehicles—a Hyundai SUV and a Toyota Matrix—packed in a container.
In Niger State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a long truck marked T 31589 LA along the Dei-Dei–Abuja Expressway in the early hours of Tuesday, 26 January. 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, hidden in the truck.
Investigations revealed that the driver, Kenneth Ogene, had transported 800 bags of flour from Lagos to Ekpoma, Edo State, before negotiating to move the illicit drugs for a fee of N1.7 million.
Also in Edo State, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, 27 January, arrested Shaibu Yusuf along the Auchi–Abuja Expressway while attempting to transport 66 bags of skunk, weighing 792 kilograms, concealed in charcoal bags to Katsina State. In a related operation, NDLEA officers, with support from the Nigerian Army, raided a cannabis farm at Ebora Camp, Ilushi, in Esan South East Local Government Area on Wednesday, 28 January. The raid led to the destruction of 4,063.675 kilograms of skunk cultivated on over 1.6 hectares of farmland, while 328 kilograms of processed cannabis and seeds were recovered. Four suspects—Jeremiah Nwodeh (46), Chukwudi Pius (33), Pius Ogaba (46), and Onora Kwene (35)—were arrested.
In Anambra State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a cement truck at Upper Iweka, Onitsha, on Wednesday, 28 January. A search revealed 345.2 kilograms of skunk concealed among bags of cement. One of the occupants of the truck, Abum Okeke (42), was arrested in connection with the seizure.
Similarly, in Ondo State, two suspects—Tunde Ogundele (39) and Soji Elegbelye (46)—were arrested on Monday, 26 January, at Eleyewo community in Akure North Local Government Area with 473 kilograms of skunk.
In Kano State, NDLEA operatives on the same day arrested Abdullahi Usman (45) along Murtala Mohammed Way with 12,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection. Another suspect, Musa Shuaibu (42), was arrested on Tuesday, 27 January, in Gaya area of the state with 4,390 pills of tramadol.
In Lagos, Oragwan Ekene was arrested on Friday, 30 January, at Okeyson Park, Alaba, with 15.5 kilograms of skunk en route to Onitsha, Anambra State. Additionally, 3.5 kilograms of skunk were recovered from a sound system and cereal packs found in the luggage of Omang Peter Edward at the Seme Border, Badagry, on Tuesday, 27 January, as he attempted to enter Nigeria from Cotonou, Benin Republic.
Across the country, NDLEA commands sustained their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, religious centres, workplaces and communities during the week. Beneficiaries included Government Day Junior Secondary School, Jaji Maji, Yobe State; Boys Technical College, Aba, Abia State; Government Technical and Vocational College, Obollo Orie, Enugu State; St. John’s R.C.M Primary School, Odomola Eredo, Epe, Lagos; Yandaki Primary School, Kaita, Katsina State; and Seed of Life College, Ibadan, Oyo State, among others.
Commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Tincan, Niger, Lagos, Edo, Anambra, Ondo and Kano Commands for their professionalism and dedication, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), urged them to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction nationwide.
