Lagos auto parts dealer nabbed at Kano Airport with 95 cocaine pellets

In a shocking case at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) Kano, a 62-year-old Lagos-based businessman, Nwabueze Nicholas Izueke, was apprehended while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940 to China via Addis Ababa with 95 jumbo-sized wraps of cocaine weighing 1.589 kilograms concealed inside his stomach.

Izueke, who claims to be in the clothing and auto spare parts business, was detected during a body scan and placed under observation.

He expelled the drugs in seven separate excretions. During interrogation, he admitted to engaging in drug trafficking to raise funds to complete a country home in his village, Iwollo, Enugu State.

The Kano arrest is part of a string of successful operations by the NDLEA in the first week of February:

A joint operation foiled an attempt by Ebube Okeke, Evans Ugwu, Mohammed Eze Arinze, and Friday Michael to smuggle methamphetamine concealed in MP3 speakers from Enugu to Abuja and Kaduna. The first consignment of 173 grams of meth was recovered in Zuba, while the remaining 28 grams were seized in Kaduna upon collection.

Taraba State: At Dan-anacha patrol point in Gassol Local Government Area, Yusuf Abubakar, 32, was intercepted while transporting packs of Hollandia Yogurt from Lagos to Mubi, Adamawa State. The packages concealed 1.8 kilograms of methamphetamine.

Oyo State: Beninoise national Shuaibu Abdulrahman, 29, was arrested in Ibudo-Igboho village with 149.6 kilograms of skunk cannabis hidden in rice shafts. Separately, Adeniyi Adeola (a.k.a. Prince) was nabbed at Foko, Agbeni market with 10,820 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 117,820 tramadol capsules. Additionally, drug kingpin Jimoh Nurudeen, 40, along with accomplice Ogundipe Yusuf, 27, were arrested in Ibadan for operating a Colorado (synthetic cannabis) production facility. Authorities recovered 8 litres of precursor chemicals, 14 grams of skunk, cash totaling N7,408,400, and two vehicles

Kwara State: NDLEA operatives intercepted a fuel tanker traveling from Lagos to Maiduguri, Borno State, concealing 395,400 tramadol capsules. The driver was taken into custody.

Imo and Ondo States: Izuchukwu Azubuike, 37, and Ifunaya Mmadueke, 32, were arrested in Umuaka, Njaba, with 203 kilograms of skunk. In Ondo, 420 kilograms of skunk were recovered in a bush at Ikun Akoko.

Lagos State: At Badagry, Marine Command officers seized 31 wraps of cocaine from Eze Nodebechi Austin arriving from Cote d’Ivoire in a passenger boat. On Lagos Island, Adekunle Oluwatosin Olajide was arrested with 3.6 kilograms of Canadian Loud and Colorado cannabis.

Enugu State: Emeka Okeke, 37, was arrested at his hideout in Akuruka Street, Asata, Ezeagu. Authorities recovered various quantities of skunk, methamphetamine, cocaine, and molly, along with N457,700 in cash.

NDLEA Chairman/CEO Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the officers for their professionalism and commitment, urging all commands to sustain their efforts in both drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction initiatives.

Beyond enforcement, the NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization programs across schools, workplaces, and communities. Recent outreach included lectures at Agulu Awka Community Secondary School in Anambra, Okeodo Community High School in Oyo, and Wisdom Foundation Secondary School in Lagos. The Niger State Command also paid an advocacy visit to the Emir of Suleja, Alhaji Mohammed Auwal Ibrahim.

The spate of arrests highlights the NDLEA’s ongoing nationwide operations against the trafficking and abuse of narcotics, emphasizing a multi-pronged strategy combining enforcement, intelligence gathering, and community education.