The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has announced the arrest of a Nigerian businessman based in São Paulo, Brazil, over the alleged importation of liquid cocaine into the country, while also reporting multiple arrests and seizures across several states.
In a statement released on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the suspect, 41-year-old Abugu Oliver Ikechukwu, was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos, after arriving from Brazil through Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airlines flight on June 11.
According to the agency, officers searched his luggage and discovered 14 shirts and towels allegedly soaked in liquid cocaine, dried, and neatly ironed to avoid detection. The recovered substance reportedly weighed 6.10 kilograms.
Investigators said the suspect claimed he had lived in Brazil for over 14 years, where he runs an African restaurant. He reportedly told officers he travelled to Nigeria to see his wife and purchase supplies for his business.
In Abia State, NDLEA also took custody of a 60-year-old woman, Chidimma Sunday, after members of the Umuosu Vigilante Group apprehended her in Isialangwa North Local Government Area with 1.8 kilograms of skunk.
Another suspect, 28-year-old Abubakar Usman, was arrested during a raid in Rumuokoro, Rivers State. Officers reportedly recovered skunk, methamphetamine, tramadol, swinol and diazepam from him.
In Delta State, operatives arrested 36-year-old Onya Jude in Ogwashi-Uku and recovered 2.8 kilograms of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, allegedly hidden inside five gas cylinders.
Two suspects identified as Jamilu Idris, also known as Jama, and Aminu Abdullahi, also known as Momo, were arrested in Gombe State with 2.738 kilograms of skunk.
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Elsewhere in Kano, officers intercepted Ngozi Gaius, 39, along the Zaria-Kano Road with 6,000 tablets of tramadol 225mg.
NDLEA operatives also arrested Nasiru Hamza and Muhammad Sani in Kwara State after recovering 600 compressed blocks of skunk weighing 304 kilograms from a Toyota jeep.
In Taraba State, intelligence-led operations resulted in a raid on a warehouse linked to 45-year-old Ali Adamu in Bali Local Government Area. Officers reportedly recovered 63 jumbo bags of cannabis sativa weighing 1,121.5 kilograms.
Another operation along the Gwagwalada Expressway in the Federal Capital Territory led to the arrest of Emmanuel Nnadi, 46, with thousands of pills and bottles of controlled substances, including tramadol, pregabalin, molly and codeine syrup.
In Lagos, operatives also recovered 1,102 kilograms of Ghana Loud around Alaba International Market in Ojo.
The agency added that commands nationwide have continued anti-drug awareness campaigns under its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, targeting schools, workplaces, communities and traditional institutions.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers across affected commands for the arrests and recoveries and urged them to sustain the campaign against drug trafficking and abuse.