NDLEA Arrests Businessman with 81 Wraps of Cocaine in Stomach, Undergoes Surgery to Expel Drugs
…Agency Intercepts 2,000kg of Skunk from Ghana at Lagos Beach
In a dramatic near-death encounter, a 59-year-old businessman, Chijioke Nnanna Igbokwe, has undergone an emergency surgical procedure to remove 57 out of 81 wraps of cocaine lodged in his stomach after failing to excrete them for seven days.
The suspect was arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, following his arrival from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Igbokwe, who claims to be a trader at Arena, Oshodi, had departed Lagos on 22nd January for Addis Ababa, where he ingested the illicit consignment the following day before boarding a flight to Beirut, Lebanon, to deliver the drugs for a fee of $3,000.
However, upon arrival in Lebanon, he was denied entry for failing to meet the country’s financial entry requirement of $2,000 and was immediately deported back to Addis Ababa.
While stranded in Ethiopia, Igbokwe made unsuccessful attempts to excrete the drugs before proceeding to Lagos on 25th January with the pellets still in his system.
NDLEA officers apprehended him at MMIA on 26th January during an inward passenger clearance on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
Following a body scan that confirmed the presence of illicit substances in his stomach, he was placed under excretion observation.
After five days, he managed to expel only 24 pellets, prompting medical intervention at the NDLEA’s medical facility and Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja.
With time running out and his condition worsening due to underlying health complications, Igbokwe underwent an emergency exploratory laparotomy on 30th January.
His wife and brother consented to the procedure, which successfully extracted the remaining 57 wraps.
A total of 81 pellets of cocaine, weighing 1.943 kilograms, were ultimately recovered from his body.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives intercepted a 2,000-kilogram consignment of Ghanaian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, at Lekki Beach, Lagos, on 29th January.
The illicit shipment was in the process of being loaded onto a truck when officers swooped in, arresting two suspects, Sunday Awoyede and Christopher Cletus.
The intercepted drugs, the truck, and the suspects were taken into custody.
On the same day, another suspect, Lawal Idris Olasunkanmi, was arrested in Mushin, Lagos, with 55kg of skunk during a targeted raid.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA has intensified its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy through sensitisation lectures across the country.
In the past week, the agency engaged students and staff of Grand Light Model School in Akwa Ibom, Community Grammar School in Oyo, Ebute Afuye Primary School in Lagos, Akwakuma Girls Secondary School in Imo, and Federal Government College in Sokoto.
Additionally, the Kogi State Command paid a courtesy visit to the Attah of Igala, HRH Mathew Opaluwa Oguche, to strengthen anti-drug awareness efforts.
Commending the professionalism and vigilance of NDLEA officers, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), lauded the MMIA Strategic Command for its swift handling of Igbokwe’s case.
He also praised the Lagos State Command for intercepting the massive skunk shipment, preventing it from flooding the country.
Marwa further issued a stern warning to drug traffickers, emphasising the grave dangers they pose not only to society but also to themselves.
He reiterated the NDLEA’s commitment to tackling drug supply and demand through a balanced approach of enforcement and advocacy.
The agency said it remains steadfast in its mission to eradicate drug trafficking and abuse in Nigeria.
