A China-based Nigerian businessman and two Angolan nationals have excreted a total of 236 wraps of cocaine following their arrest by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.
The Nigerian suspect, Ibeanu Chukwudulue, 34, was arrested on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, while aboard a Qatar Airways flight from Kano to China via Abuja and Doha.
In a statement issued Sunday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said operatives acted on credible intelligence to have the suspect deboarded in Abuja for screening.
“Following a body scan, the result confirmed the suspect had ingested illicit drugs. He was placed under observation and subsequently excreted 52 pellets of cocaine weighing 735.95 grams,” Babafemi said.
In his statement, Chukwudulue reportedly said he previously ran a business on Lagos Island before relocating to Guangzhou, China, in 2024.
On the same day in Kano, NDLEA officers intercepted two Angolan nationals, Mbandu Martins Makiadi, 50, and Ngoma Wilson Fernando, 52 during outward clearance for an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Istanbul via Addis Ababa.
Body scans confirmed both men had ingested drugs. Under observation, Makiadi excreted 76 wraps of cocaine weighing 920 grams in seven excretions, while Fernando expelled 108 pellets weighing 1.33 kilograms in five excretions.
According to Babafemi, the suspects, who hail from Hoji Ya Henda in Luanda, Angola, claimed they were recruited by a spare parts dealer in Luanda who promised to pay them $3,000 each upon successful delivery of the drugs in Turkey.
In a related development in Lagos, NDLEA operatives foiled an attempt by a convicted drug trafficker, Olashupo Michael Oladimeji, to export 1.10 kilograms of cocaine concealed in processed cassava granules (garri) to London on a Virgin Atlantic flight.
Babafemi said Oladimeji is currently serving a five-year jail term at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre following his 2025 conviction for conspiracy to export 17.90 kilograms of cocaine. Investigations revealed he allegedly orchestrated the latest trafficking attempt from prison through his logistics firm, Dimeji Express Logistics.
A staff member of the company, Adedeji Yusuf Gbolahan, who presented the consignment for export, was arrested. Authorities said Oladimeji directed him to collect the package from Oshodi for shipment.
Also in Lagos, NDLEA officers intercepted 1.70 kilograms of skunk concealed in five jerry cans destined for the United Kingdom. A cargo agent was arrested at the export shed, while the prime suspect, Adelaja Taiwo Adetayo, 44, was later apprehended in the Ahmadiyya area of the state.
In Abuja, operatives uncovered Canadian Loud cannabis hidden inside a children’s toy guitar shipped from Enugu. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the consignor, Henry Onuma, in the Life Camp area.
Further operations in Ibadan, Oyo State, led to the arrest of a suspected drug dealer, Oluwayemisi Bunmi, 45. Recovered items included 1.189 kilograms of skunk, 320 grams of methamphetamine, ₦2.975 million in cash, and two Toyota Matrix vehicles.
In Kwara State, NDLEA operatives intercepted 105,400 tramadol pills from a suspect, Kamilu Abdullahi, 43, after stopping his vehicle in the Bode Saadu area.
The agency said it has intensified nationwide interdiction efforts amid a surge in attempts to smuggle illicit drugs through Nigeria’s airports and logistics channels.
