NDLEA arrests China-bound auto parts dealer at Kano airport for ingesting 95 wraps of cocaine
NDLEA Arrests Lagos Businessman for Cocaine Smuggling
KANO, Nigeria — The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) announced the arrest of a 62-year-old businessman, Nwabueze Nicholas Izueke, at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport on January 31, 2026. He was apprehended while attempting to travel to China with 95 wraps of cocaine, weighing 1.589 kilograms, concealed in his stomach.
According to an NDLEA statement released on February 1, the suspect was detained during passenger clearance for Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940, which was bound for China via Addis Ababa. Femi Babafemi, the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, reported that Izueke tested positive for ingested narcotics after a body scan.
While in custody, Izueke, who claimed to operate a clothing and auto spare parts business in Lagos, expelled the cocaine in seven excretions. He asserted that he turned to drug trafficking to raise funds for constructing his family home in Iwollo, Enugu State.
In a related operation, NDLEA agents seized 627.7 kilograms of skunk, a cannabis strain, from a makeshift warehouse in Kubwa, Abuja. Four individuals, identified as Ebube Okeke, Evans Ugwu, Mohammed Eze Arinze, and Friday Michael, were arrested on February 6 while allegedly attempting to transport methamphetamine hidden in MP3 speakers from Enugu to Abuja and Kaduna. Subsequent operations led to the arrest of Okeke, who owned one of the parcels, and the others were apprehended in Kaduna.
In Taraba State, a 32-year-old suspect, Yusuf Abubakar, was taken into custody after NDLEA agents discovered methamphetamine concealed within yogurt packs. The illicit substance weighed 1.8 kilograms.
Elsewhere, NDLEA officers arrested Shuaibu Abdulrahman, a Beninese national, on February 5 in Oyo State, where he was found with 149.6 kilograms of skunk hidden in rice shafts. They also detained Adeniyi Adeola, alias “Prince,” in Ibadan, where 10,820 ampoules of pentazocine and 117,820 tramadol capsules were seized from his vehicle.
In another significant bust, Jimoh Nurudeen, 40, a suspected drug kingpin in Ibadan, was arrested along with an accomplice on February 7. Authorities recovered chemicals for producing synthetic cannabis, known as Colorado, as well as cash amounting to ₦7,408,400 and two vehicles.
In a separate incident, NDLEA agents intercepted a fuel tanker in Kwara State on February 7, discovering 395,400 tramadol capsules concealed within. A couple was arrested in Imo State with 203 kilograms of skunk on the same day, while in Ondo State, agents found 420 kilograms of skunk in a bush.
Additional seizures included 31 wraps of cocaine from a suspect returning from Cote D’Ivoire at Badagry and 3.6 kilograms of Canadian Loud and Colorado in Lagos. In Enugu, Emeka Okeke, a 37-year-old, was apprehended with various drugs and cash.
Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, commended the efforts of personnel across various commands for their professionalism in this extensive operation and urged continued commitment to combating drug trafficking.
