Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a Nigeria-born businessman returning from Brazil for allegedly attempting to smuggle cocaine into the country through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
The suspect, identified as 47-year-old Uche Franklin Onyekwere, was apprehended on Thursday, January 29, 2026, during the inward clearance of South African Airways passengers arriving from Brazil via Johannesburg. The agency said the arrest followed processed intelligence that flagged the traveller for close scrutiny.
According to the NDLEA, Onyekwere was subjected to a full body scan, which indicated possible drug concealment. A subsequent strip search reportedly led to the discovery of a large wrap of a white powdery substance, later confirmed to be cocaine, tied around his right thigh. Further checks uncovered two additional wraps hidden inside the soles of his flat shoes.
In total, three large parcels of cocaine weighing 1.60 kilogrammes were recovered from the suspect’s body and footwear.
During preliminary interrogation, Onyekwere allegedly confessed to purchasing the drugs in Brazil with plans to resell them in Nigeria. He reportedly said the proceeds were intended to boost his business capital and help finance the naming ceremony of his newborn child. The suspect disclosed that he had lived in São Paulo since 2008, where he operated a toy business for about nine years.
Meanwhile, NDLEA officers at the Tincan Seaport in Lagos, working alongside the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, intercepted 55 jumbo bags of Canadian Loud — a potent strain of cannabis — weighing 1,183kg. The shipment, imported from Montreal, Canada, was discovered concealed inside two vehicles, a Hyundai SUV and a Toyota Matrix, hidden in a container examined on Wednesday, January 28.
In Niger State, operatives acting on intelligence on Tuesday, January 26, intercepted a truck along the Dei-Dei–Abuja Expressway and arrested three suspects — Andy Chidogu, 49; Kenneth Ogene, 45; and Sadiq Olanrewaju, 27. The vehicle was found to be transporting 176 bags of skunk weighing 2,735kg, along with one kilogramme of Colorado. Investigations revealed the truck had earlier delivered flour from Lagos to Ekpoma, Edo State, before being repurposed to convey the drugs for a reported fee of ₦1.7 million.
In Edo State, Shaibu Yusuf was arrested on January 27 along the Auchi–Abuja Expressway with 66 bags of skunk weighing 792kg, concealed in charcoal sacks and reportedly bound for Katsina. Also in the state, NDLEA operatives, supported by the Nigerian Army, raided a cannabis farm at Ebora Camp, Ilushi, in Esan South-East Local Government Area, where over 4,063kg of skunk was destroyed across 1.6 hectares of farmland. An additional 328kg of processed cannabis and seeds were recovered, leading to the arrest of four suspects.
Further operations across the country led to the interception of 345.2kg of skunk hidden in cement bags from a truck at Upper Iweka, Onitsha, Anambra State, resulting in the arrest of Abum Okeke, 42. In Ondo State, two suspects — Tunde Ogundele, 39, and Soji Elegbelye, 46 — were apprehended in Akure North with 473kg of skunk.
In Kano, Abdullahi Usman, 45, was arrested with 12,500 ampoules of pentazocine, while another suspect, Musa Shuaibu, 42, was caught in Gaya with 4,390 tramadol pills. In Lagos, Oragwan Ekene was arrested at Alaba with 15.5kg of skunk allegedly destined for Onitsha. At the Seme border in Badagry, NDLEA officers recovered 3.5kg of skunk from the luggage of Omang Peter Edward arriving from Cotonou, Benin Republic.
Commending officers involved in the nationwide operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised commands at MMIA, Tincan, Niger, Edo, Anambra, Ondo, Lagos and Kano for their efforts. He urged personnel to maintain a balanced strategy focused on both drug supply suppression and demand reduction.
The agency also disclosed that its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns continue across schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities nationwide.
