Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 74-year-old man, Ikwuakalom Nwakoro Emeka, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after discovering 11 kilograms of cocaine concealed in his luggage as he attempted to travel to the United Kingdom.
The suspect, who claimed he was travelling to London for vacation, was intercepted at the airport’s departure hall while preparing to board a British Airways flight BA082 to Heathrow on Saturday, March 14, 2026. NDLEA officers found the cocaine carefully wrapped in foil papers and balloons, hidden inside food items such as ground dry pepper.
In a related operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence arrested a woman, Maryam Olalowo, at Ikad Hotel and Suites while attempting to sell 89 grams of cocaine and 20 grams of “Canadian Loud,” a strain of cannabis. She was arrested with her three children, including an infant. Authorities later detained her husband, Ibrahim Olalowo Olatunji, after he admitted ownership of the drugs. Investigations revealed he had previously been convicted for a similar offence in 2015.
Further operations in Lagos led to the arrest of two suspects, Kalilou Simpara and Saidu Ibrahim, at Ebute Ero on Lagos Island, where NDLEA recovered 68,000 tramadol pills loaded in a truck and allegedly destined for the Benin Republic.
A follow-up raid at Idumota Market resulted in the arrest of the alleged owner of the consignment, Nnamdi Cyprian. A search of his shop uncovered a parcel containing 1,000 tablets of tramadol prepared for dispatch. In another raid at the market, officers arrested Nwanosike Kelvin and recovered 47,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection.
Elsewhere, a 42-year-old suspect, Magaji Dan Azumi, was arrested in Bebeji area of Kano with 386 kilograms of skunk, while NDLEA officers in Abuja recovered 282.2 kilograms of the substance from another suspect, Isah Wako, in Gwagwalada.
In Edo State, operatives raided the Egwa Forest Reserve in Aduan village, Orhionmwon Local Government Area, where a suspect, Chinedo Odalonu, was arrested and about 4,218.96 kilograms of skunk destroyed on two farms, with an additional 16.5 kilograms recovered.
At the Apapa Seaport in Lagos, NDLEA officers, in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, intercepted 339,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup concealed in two containers during a joint examination on March 14. The containers had earlier been placed under watch following intelligence reports.
Meanwhile, the agency said its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns continued across schools and communities nationwide during the past week.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers of the agency in Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Edo and the Federal Capital Territory for the arrests and seizures, urging commands nationwide to maintain a balance between drug supply reduction and demand reduction efforts.