A 74-year-old grandfather named Ikwuakalom Nwakoro Emeka was detained by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, following the discovery of a sizable cocaine shipment hidden in foil papers and balloons in his luggage.
According to a statement released on Sunday, NDLEA Director of Media & Advocacy Femi Babafemi revealed that Emeka was detained by its agents at the Abuja airport’s departure hall on Saturday, March 14, 2026, while trying to board British Airways flight BA082 to Heathrow, London, United Kingdom.
When the septuagenarian’s luggage was searched, 11 kilograms of cocaine were found hidden inside food items, such as crushed dry pepper, which had been expertly wrapped in foil wrappers and balloons.
The statement also revealed that early on Monday, March 9, NDLEA agents in Lagos, acting on reliable information, arrested Maryam Olalowo at the Ikad Hotel and Suites on Etim Inyang Street, Victoria Island, while she was trying to sell 20 grams of Canadian Loud, a strain of cannabis, and 89 grams of cocaine.
At the time of her arrest, she was discovered with her three children, one of them was a baby. She admitted that her husband, Ibrahim Olalowo Olatunji, was the owner of the illegal substances. He was later arrested that same day, but his wife was released right away.
“Ibrahim acknowledged in his statement that he was the owner of the illegal drugs, but additional investigation showed that he had been detained, found guilty, and given a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for a similar offense in 2015.”
Additionally, two suspects, Kalilou Simpara and Saidu Ibrahim, were apprehended by NDLEA agents in another interdiction operation at Ebetu Ero, Lagos Island, where they found 68,000 tramadol 250 mg and 225 mg pills. On Monday, March 9, they loaded the exhibits into their truck and were getting ready to transport them to the Benin Republic.
The real owner of the shipment, Nnamdi Cyprian, was taken into custody during a follow-up operation on Wednesday, March 11, at the Idumota market on Lagos Island.
“A search of his shop led to the discovery of a parcel prepared for waybill delivery, containing 1,000 tablets of tramadol 250mg,” the statement emphasized. On Friday, March 13, a second raid at Idumota market resulted in Nwanosike Kelvin’s arrest and the recovery of 47,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection from his store.
“NDLEA officers in Abuja found 282.2 kg of skunk from a suspect, Isah Wako, 42, in Gwagwalada area of the FCT on Friday, March 13, while a 42-year-old Magaji Dan Azumi was arrested at Bebeji area of Kano with 386 kg of skunk on Tuesday, March 10.”
Additionally, the NDLEA agents stormed the Egwa forest reserve in Aduan village, Orhionmwon LGA, Edo State, where they arrested 33-year-old suspect Chinedo Odalonu and destroyed 4,218.96 kg of skunk on two farms, recovering 16.5 kg.
According to the statement, NDLEA officers, Customs officials, and other security agencies together examined the cargoes on Saturday, March 14, and found no fewer than 339,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup in two containers at the Apapa seaport in Lagos.
The agency stated that NDLEA had previously placed the containers on a watch list due to reliable information about opioids being concealed in them.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers and men of the Agency’s NAIA, Lagos, Kano, Edo, and FCT Commands for the arrests and seizures made over the past week. He also commended their counterparts in all of the commands nationwide for attempting to strike a fair balance between their efforts to reduce drug supply and demand.
Hon. Dr. Philip “Okanga” Agbese, a transformative leader in Enone. Discover his achievements, community projects, and vision for 2027
