The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a China-based Nigerian businessman, Ibeanu Vincent Chukwudulue, alongside two Angolan nationals for ingesting cocaine, as the agency intensified its crackdown on drug trafficking across the country.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA said the three suspects excreted a combined total of 236 wraps of cocaine following their arrests at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.
Babafemi disclosed that Ibeanu was apprehended on Wednesday aboard a Qatar Airways flight QR1432 en route from Kano to China via Abuja and Doha. Acting on credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives at the Abuja airport ordered his deboarding and subjected him to a body scan, which confirmed he had ingested illicit drugs. He was subsequently placed under observation and excreted 52 pellets of cocaine weighing 735.95 grams.
During interrogation, Ibeanu reportedly said he previously operated a business on Lagos Island before relocating to Guangzhou, China, in 2024.
The two Angolan suspects, Mbandu Martins Makiadi, 50, and Ngoma Wilson Fernando, 52, were intercepted at the departure hall of the Kano airport while preparing to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940 to Istanbul, Turkey, via Addis Ababa. Body scans confirmed drug ingestion, and under observation, Mbandu excreted 76 wraps weighing 920 grams, while Ngoma expelled 108 pellets weighing 1.33 kilograms.
The suspects, both from Hoji Ya Henda in Luanda, Angola, allegedly told investigators they were recruited by an automobile spare parts dealer in Luanda who promised to pay them $3,000 each upon successful delivery of the drugs in Turkey.
In a separate operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, NDLEA operatives foiled an attempt by a convicted drug kingpin, Olashupo Michael Oladimeji, to export 1.10 kilograms of cocaine concealed in processed cassava granules, popularly known as garri, to London on a Virgin Atlantic flight.
Oladimeji, who is currently serving a five-year jail term at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre following his 2025 conviction for conspiracy to export 17.90 kilograms of cocaine, allegedly orchestrated the new trafficking scheme from prison using his company, Dimeji Express Logistics. The consignment was intercepted at the export shed of the Lagos airport, leading to the arrest of a company staff member, Adedeji Yusuf Gbolahan. Investigations revealed that the convict directed the staff member to retrieve the drug-laden package from Oshodi.
Similarly, a 44-year-old estate surveyor, Adelaja Taiwo Adetayo, was arrested for attempting to export 1.70 kilograms of skunk concealed in five jerry cans to the United Kingdom. The cargo agent who presented the consignment, Mustapha Quddus Opeyemi, was initially arrested, while a follow-up operation led to Adelaja’s arrest in the Ahmadiyya area of Lagos.
In Abuja, NDLEA operatives intercepted a waybill package from Enugu containing a children’s toy guitar used to conceal two parcels of Canadian Loud, a cannabis strain, weighing 59.2 grams. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the owner, Henry Onuma, at Dream City Estate, Life Camp.
In Lagos, officers raided a four-bedroom duplex at 2 Alexandria Terrace, Ikate-Elegushi, Lekki, used for producing and storing Colorado, a synthetic cannabis. The raid followed the seizure of 73 cartons of nitrous oxide at Iyare Motor Park along the Ajah–Epe Expressway, intended for shipment to Benin City. The vehicle driver, Amos Innocent, and another suspect, Victor Oyedeji, were arrested, with 13.2 kilograms of freshly produced Colorado and precursor chemicals recovered.
In Oyo State, a 45-year-old suspected drug dealer, Oluwayemisi Bunmi, was arrested at her residence in the Hope Alakia area of Ibadan. Recovered from her were 1.189 kilograms of Colorado and skunk, 320 grams of methamphetamine, ₦2,975,000 in cash, and two Toyota Matrix vehicles.
In Kwara State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a J5 vehicle at Bode Saadu, recovering 105,400 pills of tramadol from a suspect, Kamilu Abdullahi.
Meanwhile, in Edo State, five suspects were arrested during a raid on Yoruba Camp in Olumoye Forest, Ovia North East Local Government Area, where 563.5 kilograms of skunk were seized.
Commending officers of the MAKIA, MMIA, NAIA, Lagos, Edo, Kwara, FCT, and Oyo Commands for their professionalism, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), urged them to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug supply and demand reduction efforts nationwide.
