Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A 38-year-old businessman identified as Philip Tunde has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) after allegedly attempting to travel from Lagos to Milan, Italy, with 4.80 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in the soles of shoes and the railings of travelling bags.
The arrest, according to the NDLEA, took place on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at the joint screening point of Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. Tunde was reportedly preparing to board a Royal Air Maroc flight bound for Milan when he was intercepted by the anti-narcotics agency.
The NDLEA said a thorough search of the suspect and his luggage resulted in the discovery of 16 parcels of a white powdery substance concealed inside the soles of eight pairs of trainers and canvas shoes. A further 195 wraps of the substance were allegedly found hidden within the railings of four travelling bags.
The agency said the recovered substances were subjected to testing and confirmed to be cocaine, with a combined weight of 4.80kg.
During preliminary questioning, the suspect reportedly told investigators that he paid N16 million in cash for the cocaine concealed in the shoes. According to the NDLEA, he further stated that the separate consignment hidden inside the travelling bags was intended to be delivered to a business partner in Italy.
The agency said Tunde claimed the N16 million used to obtain the cocaine came from compensation he received following an injury he suffered while working at a plastic manufacturing company in Italy. He reportedly told investigators that he lost the tips of two fingers in the workplace incident.
The NDLEA's Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the arrest in a statement issued on Sunday, October 4, 2026, as the agency announced a series of drug seizures and arrests recorded during recent operations across several states.
The airport arrest formed part of the agency's wider intelligence-led operations against drug trafficking, including investigations involving international shipments entering and leaving Nigeria.
The NDLEA also reported major seizures at the Apapa and Tin Can Island ports in Lagos, as well as the Onne Port in Rivers State.
At Apapa Port, officers working with the Nigeria Customs Service and other relevant agencies subjected containers from Bangkok, Thailand, to detailed examination following intelligence received by the agency. One of the containers was found to contain 161 parcels of Thai Loud weighing 124kg and valued by the NDLEA at N372 million.
The substance was allegedly concealed inside two refrigerators and two cartons within the container.
At Onne Port, Rivers State, two containers placed on the NDLEA's watchlist were subjected to joint examination. Officers reportedly recovered 40 packs of Loud weighing 22kg from one of the containers, with some of the substance hidden inside a travelling bag and three vehicles.
A second container was found to contain 109,600 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup with a total weight of 16,440kg. The NDLEA said the container had originated from India and travelled to Saudi Arabia, where its history of origin was allegedly deleted before the shipment continued.
The agency placed the combined street value of the Loud and codeine consignments recovered at Onne Port at N833.2 million.
At Tin Can Island Port in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, September 29, conducted a joint examination of another watch-listed container shipped from Montreal, Canada.
The search reportedly resulted in the seizure of 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,297.5kg. The NDLEA valued the consignment at more than N3.8 billion and said the substance had been concealed in a Toyota Sienna and a Hyundai Elantra, alongside other items inside the container.
The agency said its recent operations also extended to cannabis cultivation and local drug distribution.
In Osun State, NDLEA operatives destroyed 20,234kg of cannabis, commonly referred to as skunk, cultivated on 8.0936 hectares of farmland in Area 4 of Ife South Local Government Area. The operation was conducted on Wednesday, September 30.
In Plateau State, officers arrested a 41-year-old suspect, Agbo Dennis, in the West of Mines area of Jos North on September 29 following the seizure of 33 bags of skunk weighing 385kg.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives raided an unoccupied compound at Divine Estate, Ago Palace, on September 28 and recovered 209,000 tablets of tramadol. A follow-up operation later led to the arrest of a 23-year-old suspect, Ekundayo Taiwo, at Ladipo Spare Parts Market.
The agency also reported drug seizures and arrests in Kogi and Edo states, including the interception of methamphetamine concealed in a waybill on a Lagos-Abuja commuter bus.
The NDLEA said its operatives subsequently arrested the alleged owner of the consignment, 29-year-old Michael Chukwuememka Uzoma, in Abuja.
In Edo State, officers reportedly recovered 32.2kg of cannabis during a raid on the residence of a suspect in Uyere community, Ovia North-East Local Government Area. Another suspect was arrested at Auchi Bypass in Benin City with several illicit substances, according to the agency.
The NDLEA also announced the arrest of 47-year-old Idris Mohammed Kurra, who had allegedly been wanted for six years after jumping bail in a drug-related case before the Federal High Court in Jos.
According to the agency, Kurra had been facing trial over alleged possession and dealing in 198kg of skunk when he was granted bail in December 2020. He allegedly failed to return to court and remained at large until his arrest on September 29, 2026.
Beyond enforcement operations, the NDLEA said its commands continued public awareness campaigns under its War Against Drug Abuse programme in schools, workplaces, worship centres and communities.
The agency's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the recent operations and urged them to sustain intelligence-led efforts against drug trafficking networks.
Marwa also called for the continuation of the agency's approach combining enforcement with prevention, education and community sensitisation.
The arrest of Tunde remains an allegation at this stage, and any criminal liability would ultimately be determined through due legal process. The NDLEA has not announced the outcome of any prosecution arising from the September 27 airport arrest.
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