NDLEA arrests 74-year-old man with 11kg cocaine at Abuja airport, seizes opioids in nationwide raids
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 74-year-old man at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) in Abuja after discovering 11 kilograms of cocaine hidden in his luggage while he attempted to board a flight to the United Kingdom.
The suspect, identified as Ikwuakalom Nwakoro Emeka, was intercepted at the departure hall of the Abuja airport on Saturday, March 14, 2026, while preparing to board a British Airways flight BA082 to Heathrow, London.
According to the agency, a search of his luggage revealed blocks of cocaine concealed inside food items such as ground dry pepper. The illicit drugs were carefully wrapped in foil papers and balloons.
In a related operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence in the early hours of Monday, March 9, arrested a woman, Mrs. Maryam Olalowo, at Ikad Hotel and Suites on Etim Inyang Street, Victoria Island. She was allegedly attempting to sell 89 grams of cocaine and 20 grams of Canadian Loud, a strain of cannabis.
Maryam was found with her three children, including an infant, at the time of the arrest. During interrogation, she claimed the drugs belonged to her husband, Ibrahim Olalowo Olatunji. He was later arrested the same day while his wife was released.
Ibrahim reportedly confirmed ownership of the drugs and further investigations revealed that he had previously been arrested, convicted, and sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment for a similar offence in 2015.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives also arrested two suspects, Kalilou Simpara and Saidu Ibrahim, at Ebute Ero on Lagos Island after recovering 68,000 pills of tramadol in 250mg and 225mg strengths. The suspects had reportedly loaded the drugs into a truck and were preparing to transport them to the Benin Republic when they were apprehended on Monday, March 9.
A follow-up operation conducted on Wednesday, March 11, at Idumota Market, Lagos Island, led to the arrest of the alleged owner of the consignment, Nnamdi Cyprian. A search of his shop uncovered a parcel prepared for delivery containing 1,000 tablets of tramadol.
Another raid at the same market on Friday, March 13, resulted in the arrest of Nwanosike Kelvin, from whose shop 47,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection were recovered.
In Kano State, a 42-year-old suspect, Magaji Dan Azumi, was arrested at Bebeji with 386 kilograms of skunk on Tuesday, March 10. Similarly, NDLEA officers in Abuja recovered 282.2 kilograms of skunk from another suspect, Isah Wako, also 42, in the Gwagwalada area of the Federal Capital Territory on Friday, March 13.
In Edo State, operatives raided the Egwa Forest Reserve in Aduan village, Orhionmwon Local Government Area, where a suspect, Chinedo Odalonu, 33, was arrested. A total of 4,218.96 kilograms of skunk cultivated on two farms were destroyed, while 16.5 kilograms of the substance was recovered as evidence.
At the Apapa seaport in Lagos, no fewer than 339,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup were intercepted in two containers during a joint examination by NDLEA officers, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies on Saturday, March 14. The containers had earlier been placed on a watch list following credible intelligence on the concealment of opioids.
The agency also continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign across the country during the past week. Awareness lectures were delivered to students and staff of ERCC Secondary School in Duguru, Nasarawa State; Awoyemi Commercial High School in Okeho, Oyo State; Ogunu Primary School in Ogunu, Delta State; Seven Angels University Secondary School in Ikot Enobong, Calabar, Cross River State; and Edo National College in Iguobazuwa, Edo State.
In addition, the NDLEA Zone 11 Command paid an advocacy visit to the Governor of Ebonyi State, Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, as part of the agency’s ongoing campaign against drug abuse.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers and personnel of the NAIA, Lagos, Kano, Edo and FCT Commands for the arrests and seizures recorded during the past week. He also praised officers across the country for maintaining a balance between drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
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