The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, officials have arrested an Angolan businessman, Mbala Dajou Abuba, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) in Kano, with 1.8kg of cocaine.
Abuba was reportedly smuggling the significantly large quantity of cocaine to Istanbul, Turkey, when luck ran out on him.
It was gathered that Abuba, aged 42, hailed from the Zaire province of Angola, was arrested on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, at the screening checkpoint of the Kano airport while attempting to board Egypt Air flight MS 880 to Istanbul, via Cairo.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said a body scan revealed that Abuba had ingested illicit drugs, and was then placed under observation, during which he expelled 120 pellets of cocaine, weighing a total of 1.829 kilograms, across seven excretions.
In his statement, the suspect indicated that he had previously been involved in the business of township delivery services in Angola before turning to drug trafficking.
Autoparts dealer nabbed with N1.kg in Lagos
Similarly, on Monday, February 24, 2025, NDLEA operatives intercepted Okeke Ebuka Igwe, an auto spare parts dealer, who was attempting to export 1.10 kilograms of cocaine concealed within vehicle propellers to Angola through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.
During questioning, Igwe, a businessman selling auto parts in the ASPANDA market, confirmed his involvement in the illegal shipment after the interception, which was based on actionable intelligence.
On Sunday, February 23, 2025, another NDLEA operation successfully disrupted the attempt by Ezechi Iyke Cyprian to transport 5.4 kilograms of cocaine to Owerri, Imo State, in his Toyota Sienna bus. This arrest followed several weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance by NDLEA agents.
At the Tincan Seaport in Lagos, NDLEA operatives, on Friday, February 28, 2025, uncovered a total of 128 parcels of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, hidden inside two mattresses in the trunk of a Toyota Venza vehicle imported from Canada. The consignment, weighing 63.75 kilograms, was discovered during a joint inspection of a targeted container, marked TCNU 1945861, which had been shipped from Montreal, Canada. The consignee of the shipment, 44-year-old Bamidele Joseph, has since been arrested.
In Delta State, on Thursday, February 27, 2025, NDLEA operatives, in collaboration with the military, raided a forest in the Innam-Abbi/Orogun community of Ndokwa West Local Government Area.
The agency said 50,000 kilograms of cannabis grown on a 20-hectare farm were destroyed, while five persons were arrested during the raid. The suspects were identified as Augustine Subaru (45), Ukoba Malachukwu (53), Odalonu Emmanuel (40), Esuabom Macaulay (35), and Itoje Safe (54).
In a separate operation on February 28, 2025, NDLEA officers intercepted a Mercedes Benz truck marked AWK 791 ZJ along the Abraka-Orogun Road in Delta State, leading to the discovery of 101 bags of skunk, weighing a total of 1,111 kilograms.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives, with military support, raided a warehouse in the Okpuje community, Owan West Local Government Area, on March 1, 2025. During the raid, they destroyed over 100 large bags of skunk and recovered 1,409.5 kilograms of the drug. Two suspects, Oikelomen Osere Monday (38) and Glory Iroyo (42), were arrested in connection with the seizure.
In other operations, Michael Omoloki (46) was arrested in Oyo State with 58.5 kilograms of skunk at the Ibadan end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Additionally, in Kwara State, Lawali Mohammed, a Beninese national, was apprehended on February 24, 2025, with 2,980 tramadol tablets and several diazepam pills.
In Osun State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Ibadan/Gbongan Expressway intercepted 1.05 kilograms of skunk concealed within detergent soap and biscuit cartons on February 27, 2025. Sunday Ogbu (45) was arrested in connection with the seizure.
Further, on February 23, 2025, Ayuba Mustapha (30) was apprehended in Zamfara State with 24,700 tramadol pills. In Borno State, Mustapha Shettima (50) was arrested on February 26, 2025, with 31 kilograms of skunk, 1,000 tramadol pills, and 720,000 Naira in cash along Bama Road in Maiduguri. On the same day, Adamu Idris (40) was arrested along Zaria Road in Kano with 140 blocks of cannabis weighing 73.5 kilograms.
