By Chimezie Godfrey
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a China-based Nigerian businessman and two Angolan nationals who excreted 236 wraps of cocaine at airports in Abuja and Kano.
The agency disclosed this in a statement on Sunday by its Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
According to the statement, a 34-year-old suspect, Ibeanu Vincent Chukwudulue, was arrested on February 4, 2026, aboard a Qatar Airways flight from Kano to China via Abuja and Doha.
NDLEA operatives at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport deboarded him for a body scan, which confirmed ingestion of illicit drugs.
He was placed under observation and later excreted 52 pellets of cocaine weighing 735.95 grams.
Babafemi said the suspect claimed he was into business on Lagos Island before relocating to Guangzhou, China, in 2024.
Similarly, two Angolan nationals — Mbandu Martins Makiadi and Ngoma Wilson Fernando — were intercepted at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport during outward clearance for a flight to Istanbul via Addis Ababa.
The agency said body scans confirmed drug ingestion.
“Mbandu excreted 76 wraps weighing 920 grams, while Ngoma expelled 108 pellets weighing 1.33 kilograms,” the statement read.
The suspects reportedly claimed they were recruited in Luanda with a promise of $3,000 each upon successful delivery of the consignments in Turkey.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport intercepted 1.10 kilograms of cocaine concealed in garri and meant for export to London.
The agency said the consignment was linked to a convicted drug kingpin, Olashupo Michael Oladimeji, who is currently serving a five-year jail term at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre, Lagos.
According to the statement, the convict allegedly initiated the scheme from prison using his logistics company, while a staff member who presented the consignment for export was arrested.
The agency also said it frustrated an attempt by a suspect to export 1.70 kilograms of skunk concealed in jerry cans to the United Kingdom.
In Abuja, operatives intercepted a children’s toy guitar used to conceal two parcels of Canadian Loud cannabis weighing 59.2 grams, leading to the arrest of the owner.
In Lagos, NDLEA officers raided a Lekki residence allegedly used for the production of synthetic cannabis known as Colorado, recovering 13.2 kilograms of the substance and precursor chemicals.
The agency said 105,400 pills of tramadol were also recovered from a suspect in Kwara State, while five suspects were arrested in Edo State with 563.5 kilograms of skunk.
Babafemi added that the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaigns continued across schools and communities nationwide.
The NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers.