The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested an ex-convict, Nwobodo Chidiebere Basil, alongside three cargo agents following the seizure of cocaine concealed in liquid starch sachets and destined for the United Kingdom.
The agency said 75 parcels of cocaine weighing 1.50 kilogrammes were recovered from factory-sealed cold-water starch sachets at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
In a statement on Sunday, the NDLEA’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said three cargo agents — Jubrin Firdausi Hassana, Kuku Daniel Oluwasegun and Igwe Chioma Jane — were arrested on Saturday, December 20, 2025, in connection with the attempted export of the consignment.
Babafemi said further investigations traced the shipment to 37-year-old Nwobodo, who was arrested the following day at a popular relaxation centre in Ikeja.
According to the statement, Nwobodo is a notorious drug trafficker who was previously convicted in 2023 for dealing in 30.10kg of methamphetamine concealed in powdered custard containers and bound for London. He was arraigned before a Federal High Court in Lagos, convicted and sentenced to five years imprisonment with an option of a ₦7 million fine and one month of community service, effective December 4, 2023. He reportedly paid the fine and returned to drug trafficking shortly after.
The NDLEA also announced the arrest of a 65-year-old driver, Sada’u Mohammed, in Gombe State, who was intercepted along the Gombe-Biu highway while conveying 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 27,900 tramadol pills and other opioids en route to Biu in Borno State.
In Lagos, operatives arrested a 47-year-old businessman, Ignatius Egbochie, also known as Brown, in connection with the earlier seizure of 26kg of “loud,” a strain of cannabis, at the Tincan Seaport. The illicit consignment, comprising 56 parcels, was seized on December 10 during a joint examination by the NDLEA, Customs and other security agencies, while Egbochie was apprehended in a follow-up operation in Apapa on December 19.
Babafemi further disclosed that NDLEA operatives carried out multiple raids across Ekiti, Edo, Cross River, Abuja, Lagos and Taraba states between December 21 and 25, 2025, during which warehouses were destroyed, large quantities of cannabis were seized and several suspects arrested.
In Ekiti State, operatives set ablaze tons of skunk and wooden warehouses in the Ara forest, Ara-Ekiti, where 638 kilogrammes of the substance were recovered. In Edo State, 1,205 blocks of compressed cannabis sativa weighing 883.1kg were seized from three Toyota Camry vehicles intercepted along the Igara-Auchi road.
In Cross River State, raids conducted at Agoi-Ibami community in Yakurr Local Government Area led to the arrest of three suspects — Freedom Jonah Akpama, 27, with 671kg of skunk; David Itam David, 30, with 89kg; and Nelson Arikpo Osam, 26, with 148kg.
The agency said the operations underscore its resolve to dismantle drug trafficking networks and curb the production, distribution and export of illicit drugs across the country.
