Reported By Mary Udezue | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded major breakthroughs in its nationwide anti-narcotics operations with the arrest of a Brazil-based Nigerian businessman at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, and the seizure of more than 9,939 kilograms of assorted illicit drugs across several states.
NDLEA operatives arrested Uche Franklin Onyekwere, a 47-year-old businessman, at the arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, on Thursday, January 29, 2026, during the inward clearance of passengers arriving from Brazil via Johannesburg aboard a South African Airways flight. The arrest followed processed intelligence indicating suspicious behaviour.
A full body scan confirmed illicit drug concealment, prompting a strip search during which a large parcel of a white powdery substance, later confirmed to be cocaine, was found wrapped around the suspect’s right thigh. Further search uncovered two additional wraps concealed in the soles of a pair of flat shoes worn by the suspect. In total, three large wraps of cocaine weighing 1.60 kilograms were recovered from his body and footwear.
During preliminary interrogation, Onyekwere disclosed that he purchased the cocaine in Brazil with the intention of selling it in Nigeria to raise capital for his business and finance the naming ceremony of his newborn child. He stated that he has lived in São Paulo, Brazil, since 2008 and has operated a toy business for about nine years.
In a separate operation at the Tincan Seaport, Lagos, NDLEA officers, working jointly with Customs and other security agencies, discovered 55 jumbo bags of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, with a gross weight of 1,183 kilograms. The drugs, imported from Montreal, Canada, were concealed inside two vehicles—a Hyundai SUV and a Toyota Matrix—during a container examination conducted on Wednesday, January 28, 2026.
In Niger State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a long truck along the Dei-Dei–Abuja Expressway in the early hours of Tuesday, January 26, arresting Andy Chidogu (49), Kenneth Ogene (45), and Sadiq Olanrewaju (27). The suspects were conveying 176 bags of skunk weighing 2,735 kilograms and 1 kilogram of Colorado (synthetic cannabis) hidden in the vehicle. Investigations revealed that the truck had initially transported flour from Lagos to Edo State before being used to move the drugs for an agreed fee of ₦1.7 million.
Further operations in Edo State led to the arrest of Shaibu Yusuf along the Auchi–Abuja Expressway with 66 bags of skunk weighing 792 kilograms concealed in charcoal bags. In another raid at Ebora Camp, Ilushi, Esan South East LGA, NDLEA operatives, supported by the Nigerian Army, destroyed 4,063.675 kilograms of skunk cultivated on over 1.6 hectares of farmland and recovered 328 kilograms of processed cannabis and seeds. Four suspects were arrested during the raid.
In Anambra State, operatives intercepted a cement truck at Upper Iweka, Onitsha, on January 28, uncovering 345.2 kilograms of skunk concealed among cement bags. The drugs were linked to Abum Okeke (42), one of the truck occupants.
In Ondo State, two suspects were arrested in Akure North with 473 kilograms of skunk, while in Kano State, NDLEA officers arrested Abdullahi Usman (45) with 12,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection. Another suspect, Musa Shuaibu (42), was apprehended with 4,390 tramadol pills in Gaya.
Additional seizures included 15.5 kilograms of skunk recovered from Oragwan Ekene in Lagos en route to Anambra, and 3.5 kilograms of skunk concealed in a sound system and cereal packs recovered from Omang Peter Edward at the Seme border.
Across the country, NDLEA also intensified its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, religious centres, workplaces, and communities.
Commending the officers involved, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), urged continued professionalism and sustained balance between drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts nationwide.
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