Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 74-year-old man, Ikwuakalom Nwakoro Emeka, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja after discovering 11 kilograms of cocaine concealed in food items inside his luggage.
The arrest occurred on Saturday, March 14, 2026, as the suspect attempted to board a British Airways flight BA082 bound for London.
According to the agency, Emeka claimed he was travelling to the United Kingdom for vacation. However, a search conducted by NDLEA officers at the airport’s departure hall uncovered blocks of cocaine hidden inside ground dry pepper and carefully wrapped in foil papers and balloons, with a combined weight of 11 kilograms.
In a separate operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence arrested a woman identified as Maryam Olalowo in the early hours of Monday, March 9, at Ikad Hotel and Suites. She was allegedly attempting to sell 89 grams of cocaine and 20 grams of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis.
Officials said she was found with her three children, including an infant, at the time of the arrest. During interrogation, Olalowo claimed the drugs belonged to her husband, Ibrahim Olalowo Olatunji, who was later arrested the same day while she was released. Investigators said Olatunji admitted ownership of the drugs, adding that checks revealed he had previously been arrested, convicted, and sentenced to two and a half years in prison in 2015 for a similar offence.
In another operation at the Epetedo/Ebetu Ero area of Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted a truck loaded with 68,000 pills of tramadol in 250mg and 225mg strengths. Two suspects, Kalilou Simpara and Saidu Ibrahim, were arrested in connection with the consignment, which was allegedly being prepared for transportation to the Benin Republic on March 9.
A follow-up raid on March 11 at Idumota Market led to the arrest of the alleged owner of the consignment, Nnamdi Cyprian. A search of his shop uncovered a parcel prepared for waybill delivery containing 1,000 tablets of tramadol 250mg.
Another raid carried out at the market on March 13 resulted in the arrest of Nwanosike Kelvin, with 47,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection recovered from his shop.
In Kano State, NDLEA operatives arrested 42-year-old Magaji Dan Azumi in the Bebeji area with 386 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis, on March 10.
Similarly, in the Gwagwalada area of the Federal Capital Territory, officers recovered 282.2 kilograms of skunk from a suspect, Isah Wako, also aged 42, on March 13.
In Edo State, operatives raided the Egwa Forest Reserve where Chinedo Odalonu, 33, was arrested. The operation led to the destruction of 4,218.96 kilograms of skunk on two farms, while 16.5 kilograms were recovered as exhibits.
Meanwhile, a joint operation involving NDLEA officers, personnel of the Nigeria Customs Service, and other security agencies intercepted 339,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup concealed in two containers at the Apapa Seaport on Saturday, March 14.
The agency said the containers had earlier been placed on a watchlist following intelligence reports about concealed opioid shipments.
Beyond enforcement, NDLEA said it continued its War Against Drug Abuse advocacy campaign across the country, delivering sensitisation lectures in schools in Nasarawa, Oyo, Delta, Cross River, and Edo states.
Reacting to the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers in the Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Edo, and FCT commands for the arrests and seizures. He also praised personnel nationwide for sustaining efforts to balance drug supply reduction with demand reduction in the fight against illicit drug abuse.
The agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the developments in a statement issued on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja.
