The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested an ex-convict, Nwobodo Chidiebere Basil, and three cargo agents over the seizure of cocaine concealed in liquid starch sachets and destined for the United Kingdom.
The NDLEA 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 (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
In a statement released on Sunday by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, three cargo agents — Jubrin Firdausi Hassana, Kuku Daniel Oluwasegun, and Igwe Chioma Jane — were arrested on Saturday, December 20, 2025, in connection with the consignment.
Further investigations linked the shipment to 37-year-old Nwobodo, who was arrested the following day at a relaxation centre in Ikeja.
The statement read in part:
“A notorious drug trafficker, Nwobodo Basil, previously convicted of dealing in 30.10kg of methamphetamine in 2023, has again been arrested by operatives of the NDLEA following the seizure of 75 parcels of cocaine weighing 1.50 kilogrammes concealed in factory-sealed sachets of cold-water starch heading to the United Kingdom at the export shed of the MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos.
“Three cargo agents — Jubrin Firdausi Hassana, Kuku Daniel Oluwasegun, and Igwe Chioma Jane — involved in the attempt to export the consignment to the UK were arrested on Saturday, December 20, 2025. Further investigation unravelled 37-year-old Nwobodo Chidiebere Basil as the mastermind. He was arrested in a follow-up operation on Sunday, December 21, at a popular relaxation centre in Ikeja, where he had gone on a date with his girlfriend.”
Babafemi said NDLEA records showed that Nwobodo had earlier been arrested in May 2023 over the seizure of 30.10kg of methamphetamine concealed in powdered custard containers and destined for London.
“He was subsequently arraigned before a Federal High Court in charge number FHC/L/337C/2023, convicted, and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment with an option of a ₦7 million fine, along with one month of community service, effective from December 4, 2023. He paid the fine and soon returned to the same criminal activity,” he said.
The agency also disclosed that a 65-year-old driver, Sada’u Mohammed, was arrested in Gombe State while conveying 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 27,900 pills of tramadol along the Gombe–Biu highway en route to Biu in Borno State.
In addition, a 47-year-old businessman, Ignatius Egbochie (alias Brown), was arrested in Lagos in connection with an earlier seizure of 26kg of “Loud” cannabis at the Tincan Seaport.
“The illicit drug consignment was seized on December 10 during a joint examination of a container by NDLEA, Customs, and other security agencies. A follow-up operation on December 19 led to the arrest of Ignatius in Apapa,” the statement said.
Babafemi further stated that NDLEA operatives carried out multiple operations between December 21 and 25, 2025, during which warehouses were destroyed and large quantities of cannabis were seized in Ekiti, Edo, Cross River, Abuja, Lagos, and Taraba, with several suspects arrested.
“In Ekiti State, NDLEA operatives on Monday, December 22, set ablaze tons of skunk and wooden warehouses in 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 recovered from three Toyota Camry vehicles intercepted along the Igara–Auchi Road on the same day.