A 41-year-old businessman, Abugu Oliver Ikechukwu based in Sao Paulo Brazil has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, for importing shirts and towels impregnated with 6.10 kilograms of liquid cocaine from the South American country into Nigeria.
Abugu was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos upon arrival from Brazil via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia aboard an Ethiopian Airways flight on Thursday 11th June 2026.
Femi Babafemi, the Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja disclosed this in a statement on Sunday 14th June 2026.
Providing detail, the agency spokesman stated, “A thorough search of his luggage led to the recovery of 14 towels and shirts, all soaked in liquid cocaine, dried and well ironed.”
According to him, the suspect claims he has lived for over 14 years in Brazil where he runs an African restaurant. He added that he was in Nigeria to see his wife and buy food stuff in bulk for his restaurant.
The agency further disclosed that it has detained a 60-year-old woman Chidimma Sunday and a 28-year-old man Abubakar Usman, both persons living with disability have been taken into NDLEA custody in Abia and Rivers state respectively following their involvement in illicit drug trade.
While Chidimma was nabbed with 1.8kg skunk by Umuosu vigilante group in Umuna Autonomous community, Isialangwa North LGA Abia state and handed over to NDLEA on Wednesday 10th June, Abubakar was arrested at Rumuokoro Port Harcourt Rivers state with 400 grams of skunk, 5 grams of methamphetamine, 100 grams of tramadol, 5 grams of swinol and 18 grams of diazepam during a raid by NDLEA officers on Tuesday 9th June.
In Delta, NDLEA operatives on Monday 8th June arrested a suspect Onya Jude, 36, in possession of five gas cylinders used to conceal 2.8 kilograms of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis at Ogwashi uku, Aniocha South area of the state.
This was followed by the arrest of two notorious dealers: 40-year-old Jamilu Idris (a.k.a Jama) and 33-year-old Aminu Abdullahi (a.k.a Momo) at Kasuwan Katako area of Gombe, Gombe state. They were caught with three big blocks of skunk that weighed 2.738kg at the time of their arrest by NDLEA operatives.
While Ngozi Gaius, 39, was nabbed along Zaria/Kano road, Kano state on Friday 12th June conveying 6,000 pills of tramadol 225mg, two suspects: Nasiru Hamza, 47; and Muhammad Sani, 38, were intercepted by NDLEA operatives on patrol along Bode Saadu road, Kwara state conveying 600 compressed blocks of skunk weighing 304kg in a black Toyota jeep with special registration number: P JHR 783 on Tuesday 9th June.
In Taraba, NDLEA officers acting on credible intelligence on Saturday 13th June raided the warehouse of a notorious dealer Ali Adamu, 45, at Maihula village, Bali LGA where 63 jumbo bags of cannabis sativa weighing 1,121.5 kilograms, were recovered. Same day, operatives on patrol along Gwagwalada expressway, FCT Abuja, arrested Emmanuel Nnadi, 46, and seized from him assorted illicit substances including: 30,400 pills of tramadol 225mg and 100mg; 750 pills of pregabline 300mg; 200 pills of molly; and 592 bottles of codeine-based syrup.
A large consignment of Ghana Loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 1,102 kilograms, was recovered around Alaba International Market, Ojo area of Lagos on Saturday 13th June.
With the same zeal, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization activities in schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.
These include: WADA enlightenment lecture for students and staff of Government Science School, Lafia, Nasarawa; Community Secondary School, Imufu, Enugu Ezike, Enugu; Araromi Junior Secondary School, Adekunle Sari-Iganmu, Ijora, Lagos; traditional leaders in Minjibir LGA, Kano; and St. Charles College, Onitsha, Anambra; while the Rivers state command of NDLEA paid a WADA advocacy visit to His Royal Majesty, Eze Onyekachi Amaonwu, Paramount Ruler of Eberi Omuma kingdom, among others.
While commending the officers, men and women of MMIA, Abia, Rivers, Kano, Kwara, Delta, Gombe, Lagos, and FCT Commands for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) noted their drug supply reduction efforts balanced with WADA sensitization activities while he charged them and their compatriots across the country to continue to surpass their previous records.
