The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has confirmed that 59-year-old businessman Chijioke Nnanna Igbokwe recently underwent exploratory laparotomy surgery to remove 57 out of 81 pellets of cocaine that were lodged in his stomach after he ingested the illicit substance seven days earlier in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
According to a statement from NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, Igbokwe was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos during passenger clearance on Ethiopian Airlines flight on Sunday, January 26, 2025. A body scan revealed the presence of drugs in his system, and he was taken into NDLEA custody for observation and excretion.
Further investigation revealed that Igbokwe, a self-described clothing businessman based in the Arena Oshodi area of Lagos, flew from Lagos to Addis Ababa on January 22. The following day, he ingested 81 pellets of cocaine and boarded a flight to Beirut, Lebanon, where he intended to deliver the illicit consignment for a $3,000 fee. However, upon arrival in Beirut, he was denied entry due to insufficient funds—less than the $2,000 required to enter the country—and was deported to Addis Ababa.
Unable to expel the drugs, Igbokwe attempted to pass them before returning to Lagos on January 25. He was arrested at the airport on January 26. Despite five days of observation and initial medical treatment at the NDLEA’s medical facility and Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in Ikeja, Igbokwe could only expel 24 pellets. Due to growing health complications, he was admitted to a tertiary facility where surgery was performed on January 30 to remove the remaining 57 pellets.
In total, NDLEA recovered 81 cocaine pellets from Igbokwe’s body, weighing 1.943 kilograms.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives intercepted a shipment of 2,000 kilograms of Ghanaian Loud— a potent strain of cannabis produced in Ghana—at Lekki beach. The two suspects, Sunday Awoyede and Christopher Cletus, were attempting to load the drugs into a truck when they were arrested. Both the suspects and the seized drugs, along with the vehicle, were taken into custody.
Additionally, another suspect, Lawal Idris Olasunkanmi, was arrested the same day with 55 kilograms of skunk during a raid on his residence in the Mushin area of Lagos.
