The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a 37-year-old ex-convict, Nwobodo Chidiebere Basil, alongside three cargo handlers, over an attempt to ship cocaine hidden inside liquid starch sachets to the United Kingdom.
The arrest followed the interception of 75 wraps of cocaine with a combined weight of 1.50 kilograms at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the three cargo agents, Jubrin Firdausi Hassana, Kuku Daniel Oluwasegun and Igwe Chioma Jane, were taken into custody on December 20 during the initial operation. Further investigation led operatives to Nwobodo, who was arrested the next day at a relaxation spot in Ikeja.
Babafemi said, “A notorious drug trafficker, Nwobodo Basil, previously convicted for dealing in 30.10kg of methamphetamine in 2023, has again been apprehended following this seizure. He was located at a relaxation centre on a date with his girlfriend.”
NDLEA records show that Nwobodo was convicted in May 2023 for trafficking methamphetamine and handed a five-year jail term with an option of a ₦7 million fine and one month of community service. After paying the fine, he was released but allegedly returned to drug trafficking, Babafemi added.
The agency also reported several other drug-related arrests nationwide. In Gombe State, 65-year-old Sada’u Mohammed was arrested while conveying 300 ampoules of pentazocine injections and 27,900 tramadol tablets en route to Biu in Borno State.
In Lagos, a 47-year-old businessman, Ignatius Egbochie, popularly known as Brown, was apprehended after 26 kilograms of cannabis were seized at Tincan Port.
Between December 21 and 25, NDLEA operatives conducted raids across Ekiti, Edo, Cross River, Abuja, Lagos and Taraba states, dismantling warehouses and confiscating large quantities of cannabis.
Babafemi disclosed that 638 kilograms of cannabis were recovered in Ara-Ekiti, where storage sites were destroyed. In Edo State, 883.1 kilograms of compressed cannabis were intercepted from vehicles along the Igara–Auchi road, while three suspects were arrested in Cross River with additional consignments of skunk.
Babafemi stressed that all suspects will be prosecuted in line with Nigerian law, noting that the operations are part of the agency’s sustained efforts to break drug trafficking networks, reduce the circulation of illicit substances and protect public health.
