Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 37-year-old ex-convict, Nwobodo Chidiebere Basil, alongside three cargo agents, over an attempt to export cocaine concealed in liquid starch sachets to the United Kingdom.
The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, noting that the arrests followed the seizure of 75 parcels of cocaine weighing 1.50 kilograms at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
According to Babafemi, three cargo agents—Jubrin Firdausi Hassana, Kuku Daniel Oluwasegun, and Igwe Chioma Jane—were arrested on December 20 during the initial operation. Further investigations led to the arrest of Nwobodo the following day at a relaxation centre in Ikeja.
Babafemi described Nwobodo as a notorious drug trafficker who was previously convicted in 2023 for dealing in 30.10 kilograms of methamphetamine.
“He was earlier arrested in May 2023 for attempting to export 30.10kg of methamphetamine concealed in powdered custard containers to London. He was subsequently arraigned at the Federal High Court, Lagos, in charge number FHC/L/337C/2023, convicted and sentenced to five years imprisonment with an option of a ₦7 million fine and one month of community service, effective December 4, 2023. He paid the fine and soon returned to the same criminal activity,” Babafemi said.
The NDLEA spokesman also revealed that a 65-year-old driver, Sada’u Mohammed, was arrested along the Gombe–Biu highway while conveying 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 27,900 tramadol pills, and other opioids en route to Biu in Borno State.
In a related development, a 47-year-old businessman, Ignatius Egbochie, also known as Brown, was arrested in Lagos over the earlier seizure of 26 kilograms of “Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, at the Tin Can Island Port.
Babafemi explained that the illicit drug consignment, comprising 56 parcels, was seized on December 10 during a joint examination by NDLEA, Customs, and other security agencies. A follow-up operation on December 19 led to Egbochie’s arrest in Apapa.
In separate operations across the country, NDLEA operatives destroyed drug warehouses and seized large quantities of cannabis in Ekiti, Edo, Cross River, Abuja, Lagos, and Taraba states between December 21 and 25.
“In Ekiti State, NDLEA operatives on December 22 set ablaze cannabis warehouses in Ara Forest, Ara-Ekiti, where 638 kilograms of skunk were recovered. In Edo State, 1,205 blocks of compressed cannabis sativa weighing 883.1kg were seized from three Toyota Camry vehicles intercepted along the Igara–Auchi Road on the same day,” he said.
Babafemi added that in Cross River State, raid operations carried out on December 21 at Agoi-Ibami community in Yakurr Local Government Area led to the arrest of three suspects and the seizure of large quantities of skunk. The suspects were identified as Freedom Jonah Akpama, 27, with 671kg; David Itam David, 30, with 89kg; and Nelson Arikpo Osam, 26, with 148kg.
