Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have thwarted a major smuggling attempt, arresting 41-year-old Brazil-based businessman Abugu Oliver Ikechukwu. The suspect was intercepted with 6.10 kilograms of liquid cocaine, chemically infused into shirts and towels, as part of the agency’s relentless nationwide crackdown on illicit substances.
According to a Sunday, June 14 statement by NDLEA Spokesman Femi Babafemi, Abugu’s run ended at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos. Operatives nabbed the suspect on Thursday, June 11, 2026, just as he disembarked from an Ethiopian Airlines flight originating from Brazil via Addis Ababa.
A thorough search of the luggage led to the discovery of 14 towels and shirts that had been saturated with liquid cocaine, dried, and ironed.
Defending his actions, the suspect stated he has operated an African restaurant in Brazil for more than 14 years. He insisted that his trip to Nigeria was a dual-purpose family and business visit—meant only to see his wife and source bulk restaurant supplies.
In a separate crackdown, the NDLEA smashed localized networks run by persons with disabilities, arresting 60-year-old Chidimma Sunday in Abia and 28-year-old Abubakar Usman in Rivers for their active roles in peddling illicit drugs.
The details of their arrests reveal stark operations across both states. On Wednesday, June 10, the Umuosu vigilante group in Isiala Ngwa North LGA, Abia State, caught Chidimma with 1.8kg of skunk and transferred her to federal custody. Just a day earlier, on Tuesday, June 9, NDLEA operatives stormed Rumuokoro, Port Harcourt, catching Abubakar red-handed with a diverse haul of narcotics: 400g of skunk, 100g of tramadol, 18g of diazepam, and 5g each of methamphetamine and swinol.
In Delta State, a bizarre concealment technique was foiled on Monday, June 8, when NDLEA operatives raided Ogwashi-Uku. The team arrested 36-year-old Onya Jude after discovering 2.8 kilograms of “Loud,” a high-potency cannabis strain, tightly stuffed inside five gas cylinders.
In Gombe State, the NDLEA dealt a severe blow to local supply chains by taking two notorious dealers out of circulation at the Kasuwan Katako market area. Jamilu Idris, 40, (alias Jama) and Aminu Abdullahi, 33, (alias Momo) were intercepted by operatives with three tightly wrapped blocks of skunk weighing 2.738kg.
The NDLEA’s highway intercept units recorded massive successes across regional transit routes. First, patrol teams along Kwara State’s Bode Saadu Road intercepted Nasiru Hamza, 47, and Muhammad Sani, 38, inside a black Toyota SUV (Reg No: P JHR 783) packed with 600 compressed blocks of skunk weighing a staggering 304kg. Days later, on Friday, June 12, operatives along the Zaria-Kano highway locked down 39-year-old Ngozi Gaius, terminating her run with 6,000 illicit pills of 225mg tramadol.
A major drug distribution hub in Taraba State has been completely dismantled. On Saturday, June 13, NDLEA operatives acted on intelligence to raid a warehouse in Maihula Village, Bali LGA. The team arrested notorious dealer Ali Adamu, 45, and seized 63 jumbo bags of cannabis sativa weighing a massive 1,121.5kg.
The capital city checkpoint yielded another major breakthrough that same day. NDLEA highway patrol units along the Gwagwalada Expressway cornered 46-year-old Emmanuel Nnadi with a lethal cocktail of synthetic drugs and opioids: 30,400 tramadol pills, 750 pregabalin capsules, 200 pills of molly, and 592 bottles of codeine cough syrup.
The NDLEA dealt a severe blow to the Lagos drug market on Saturday, June 13, seizing a staggering 1,102 kilograms of “Ghana Loud” cannabis near the Alaba International Market in Ojo.
Simultaneously, the agency sustained its proactive offensive through its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative. Across the country, various commands hosted high-impact sensitization drives in schools, workplaces, communities, and faith-based centers to curb drug abuse at the grassroots level.
Key initiatives over the week featured WADA interactive lectures at Government Science School (Lafia, Nasarawa), Community Secondary School (Enugu Ezike, Enugu), and Araromi Junior Secondary School (Ijora, Lagos). Educational outreaches also targeted St. Charles College in Onitsha and traditional headers in Kano’s Minjibir LGA, capped off by an official WADA advocacy visit by the Rivers State Command to His Royal Majesty, Eze Onyekachi Amaonwu, the Paramount Ruler of Eberi Omuma Kingdom.
Reacting to the nationwide sweep, NDLEA Chief Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (Rtd) praised the operatives for dealing a severe blow to regional drug syndicates.
Marwa noted that the massive seizures, paired with ongoing WADA civic campaigns, show the agency’s dual power to disrupt supply and reduce demand.
He challenged commands nationwide to sustain this momentum and continue smashing their own enforcement records.
