Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 74-year-old man, Ikwuakalom Nwakoro Emeka, at the departure hall of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after discovering a large consignment of cocaine concealed in his luggage.
The suspect, who claimed he was travelling to London, United Kingdom for vacation, was intercepted while attempting to board a British Airways flight BA082 to Heathrow on Saturday, March 14, 2026.
During a search of his luggage, NDLEA officers discovered blocks of cocaine weighing 11 kilograms hidden inside food items, including ground dry pepper, carefully wrapped in foil papers and balloons.
In a related operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence arrested a woman, Mrs. Maryam Olalowo, in the early hours of Monday, March 9, at Ikad Hotel and Suites on Etim Inyang Street, Victoria Island. She was allegedly attempting to sell 89 grams of cocaine and 20 grams of Canadian Loud, a strain of cannabis.
At the time of her arrest, Olalowo was found with her three children, including an infant. She later told investigators that the drugs belonged to her husband, Ibrahim Olalowo Olatunji, who was subsequently arrested the same day. After preliminary investigation, Maryam was released while her husband was taken into custody.
Ibrahim Olalowo reportedly admitted ownership of the illicit drugs during interrogation. Further investigation revealed that he had previously been arrested, convicted, and sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment for a similar offence in 2015.
In another operation at Ebute Ero on Lagos Island, NDLEA operatives arrested two suspects, Kalilou Simpara and Saidu Ibrahim, after recovering 68,000 pills of tramadol in 250mg and 225mg strengths. The suspects had already loaded the drugs into a truck and were preparing to transport them to the Benin Republic when they were apprehended on Monday, March 9.
A follow-up operation on Wednesday, March 11, at Idumota Market on Lagos Island led to the arrest of the alleged owner of the consignment, Nnamdi Cyprian. A search of his shop uncovered a parcel already prepared for waybill delivery containing 1,000 tablets of tramadol (250mg).
Another raid carried out at Idumota Market on Friday, March 13, resulted in the arrest of Nwanosike Kelvin and the recovery of 47,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection from his shop.
In Kano, a 42-year-old suspect, Magaji Dan Azumi, was arrested at Bebeji area with 386 kilograms of skunk on Tuesday, March 10.
Similarly, NDLEA officers in Abuja recovered 282.2 kilograms of skunk from another suspect, Isah Wako, also 42, in the Gwagwalada area of the Federal Capital Territory on Friday, March 13.
In Edo State, operatives of the agency raided the Egwa Forest Reserve in Aduan village, Orhionmwon Local Government Area, where a suspect, Chinedo Odalonu, 33, was arrested. During the operation, a total of 4,218.96 kilograms of skunk were destroyed on two farms, while 16.5 kilograms of the same substance were recovered.
Meanwhile, no fewer than 339,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup were intercepted in two containers at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos on Saturday, March 14. The seizure was made during a joint examination of the shipments by NDLEA officers, personnel of the Nigeria Customs Service, and other security agencies. The containers had earlier been placed on a watchlist by the agency following intelligence reports indicating the concealment of opioids in the shipments.
The War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign by NDLEA commands also continued across the country during the past week. Sensitisation lectures were delivered to students and staff of ERCC Secondary School, Duguru in Nasarawa State; Awoyemi Commercial High School, Okeho in Oyo State; Ogunu Primary School, Ogunu in Delta State; Seven Angels University Secondary School, Ikot Enobong in Calabar, Cross River State; and Edo National College, Iguobazuwa in Edo State.
In addition, the Zone 11 Command of NDLEA paid a WADA advocacy visit to the Governor of Ebonyi State, Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru.
While commending officers and men of the agency across its commands in Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Edo and the Federal Capital Territory for the recent arrests and seizures, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), urged personnel nationwide to maintain a balance between drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts in the ongoing fight against drug abuse and trafficking.
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