A 59-year-old businessman, Chijioke Nnanna Igbokwe, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos, following a failed attempt to traffic 81 pellets of cocaine ingested in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Igbokwe, who claims to be a clothing merchant at Arena Market in Oshodi, Lagos, was apprehended on Sunday, January 26, 2025, during the inward clearance of passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines flight. A body scan revealed the presence of illicit substances in his system, prompting his immediate arrest and placement under excretion observation by NDLEA officials.
Investigations uncovered that Igbokwe had departed Lagos on January 22 for Addis Ababa, where he ingested 81 wraps of cocaine on January 23. He then boarded a flight to Beirut, Lebanon, intending to deliver the drugs for a fee of 3,000. However, upon arrival in Beirut, he was denied entry due to insufficient funds, less than the 2,000 minimum required for entry into the country. Deported back to Addis Ababa, Igbokwe attempted to expel the drugs but was unsuccessful. He subsequently returned to Lagos on January 25, still carrying the cocaine pellets in his system.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi revealed that Igbokwe’s condition worsened as days passed. After five days under observation, he had only expelled 24 pellets despite medical interventions at the NDLEA facility and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH). With his health deteriorating, Igbokwe was admitted to a tertiary medical facility, where he underwent an exploratory laparotomy on Thursday, January 30. The surgery, conducted with consent from his wife and brother, successfully removed the remaining 57 pellets from his stomach.
In total, 81 pellets of cocaine, weighing 1.943 kilogrammes, were recovered from Igbokwe. The Class A drug, known for its high potency, posed severe health risks, highlighting the dangers of drug trafficking.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives in Lagos intercepted a massive consignment of 2,000 kilogrammes of Ghanaian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, at Lekki Beach on Wednesday, January 29. Two suspects, Sunday Awoyede and Christopher Cletus, were arrested while attempting to load the illicit substance into a truck. The suspects, along with the seized drugs and vehicle, were taken into custody.
On the same day, another suspect, Lawal Idris Olasunkanmi, was arrested in the Mushin area of Lagos with 55 kilogrammes of skunk during a raid at his base.
