In a relentless nationwide crackdown on narcotics, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a 25-year-old newlywed businessman, Lovely Chukwulobelu, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA), Enugu, while attempting to smuggle 72 ingested wraps of cocaine to Portugal.
According to an official statement released on Sunday, September 27, by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the Portugal-based groom was intercepted by eagle-eyed officers at the departure hall on Thursday, September 25, 2026. Strikingly caught with cocaine in his gut and a fresh wedding ring on his finger, Chukwulobelu was attempting to board an Ethiopian Airline flight to Lisbon via Addis Ababa before being placed under excretion observation, where he egested the entire cache of the Class A illicit substance.
The suspect, who claimed to run a car decoration business at the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo, Lagos, before relocating to Portugal in May 2023, confessed that he had only recently returned to Nigeria for his wedding ceremony, which took place on September 13, 2026.
The suspect confessed to investigators that he resorted to the illicit drug trade to offset the heavy financial expenses incurred during his recent wedding.
Meanwhile, a massive enforcement operation at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos, yielded one of the year’s largest opioid hauls. On Tuesday, September 22, 2026, a joint examination of three heavily monitored cargo consignments led to the seizure of 2,550,000 high-potency pills of Tramaking (225mg and 250mg) and Royal Tapentadol (250mg), weighing a staggering 1,640.55 kilograms. Investigations revealed the multi-billion Naira shipments originated from India and Bangladesh, arriving aboard Qatar Airways, RwandAir, and Ethiopian Airlines flights.
The agency’s aggressive nationwide sweep hit major breakthroughs across multiple states:
- Bauchi Highway Intercept: Along the Maiduguri bypass, NDLEA operatives intercepted a truck (registration MUB 757 YH) with a professionally fabricated false bottom. Discovered within were 300 compressed blocks of ‘skunk’—a high-strain cannabis variant—weighing 262.5kg. Two suspects, Umar Hamidu (35) and Abdulkarim Salihu (45), were arrested at the scene.
- Edo State Military-Backed Raid: In a joint operation on Wednesday, September 23, NDLEA tactical teams, supported by military personnel, stormed Eko Camp in Ilushi, Edo State. Troops completely razed two massive cannabis plantations boasting an estimated crop yield of 1,360.23kg.
- Mushin Hub Takedown: A targeted raid on Anifowoshe Street in the Mushin area of Lagos on Saturday, September 26, led to the arrest of two female suspects: Odumabo Kehinde (36) and Obiekwe Chioma (40), with 3.4kg of skunk recovered from their hideout.
- Ebute-Ero Transport Hub Seizure: That same day, operatives at the Ebute-Ero motor park in Lagos intercepted 58-year-old Ugwu Johnson. He was caught with an extensive contraband cache consisting of 5.920kg of skunk, 2,400 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 8,400 tablets of nitrazepam, and 40,000 pills of tramadol.
The agency’s cross-border intelligence operations also crushed a sophisticated West African smuggling pipeline. On Saturday, September 26, 2026, NDLEA operatives along the Iganna-Ilero Road in Oyo State intercepted two specialized pickup vans.
A thorough search uncovered 305.6kg of Ghanaian-sourced skunk bound for the Nigerian black market. Two Togolese nationals spearheading the cross-border syndicate, Yinusa Abdulsamad (35) and Fatai Baba (33), were taken into custody.
Simultaneously, a massive contraband clampdown at the Seme border in Badagry, Lagos, disrupted a major distribution network for illicit inhalants. Operatives seized 420 cartons of nitrous oxide—popularly known as “laughing gas”—weighing a massive 1,688.4kg.
Alongside the illicit shipment, officials impounded two transit vehicles configured to ferry the gas from the border into the heart of Lagos. Five suspects anchoring the logistics operation were promptly arrested:
- Kingsley John, 40
- John Chibuike Okeke, 44
- Lamidi Ismaila, 40
- Babatunde Samuel, 42
- Afeesu Idowu, 47
Parallel to the high-stakes tactical strikes, various commands and formations of the agency intensified their grassroots War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization campaign across Nigerian schools, religious centers, workplaces, and local communities over the past week.
Key advocacy footprints recorded by the agency include:
- Educational Outreach:
WADA sensitization lectures delivered directly to students and faculty at Community High School (Saki, Oyo State) and Auchi College (Auchi, Edo State). - Community & Faith-Based Engagements: Informational drives executed at the Alkali Modibbo Islamic Centre (Dukku, Gombe State) and the Junior Arabic Secondary School (Kahu, Kibiya LGA, Kano State).
- Royal Advocacy: A strategic courtesy and advocacy visit by the NDLEA Delta Ports Command to the Olu of Warri, His Royal Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatshe III, to secure institutional traditional backing for the drug-free campaign.
Reacting to the string of high-profile intercepts, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), highly commended the officers and men of the MMIA, AIIA, Lagos, Oyo, Edo, Seme, and Bauchi Commands for their tactical precision.
Marwa explicitly charged the operatives and their colleagues nationwide to aggressively sustain the agency’s ongoing, balanced approach to absolute drug control and supply reduction across the federation.
