The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered an attempt to export cocaine concealed in factory-sealed sachets of liquid starch to the United Kingdom, arresting an ex-convict and three cargo agents linked to the shipment.
The agency said a total of 75 wraps of cocaine, weighing 1.50 kilogrammes, were recovered at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, during routine cargo checks.
In a statement on Sunday, the NDLEA spokesman, Mr Femi Babafemi, said three cargo agents—Jubrin Firdausi Hassana, Kuku Daniel Oluwasegun and Igwe Chioma Jane—were arrested on Saturday, December 20, 2025, in connection with the consignment.
He said further investigation traced the drug shipment to Nwobodo Chidiebere Basil, a 37-year-old ex-convict, who was arrested the following day at a relaxation centre in Ikeja.
According to the NDLEA, Nwobodo had previously been convicted in 2023 for trafficking 30.10 kilogrammes of methamphetamine, also concealed in food products and destined for London.
Babafemi explained that NDLEA records showed that Nwobodo was arraigned before a Federal High Court, convicted and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment with an option of a N7 million fine, alongside one month of community service. He paid the fine and returned to drug trafficking shortly after.
In separate operations across the country, the NDLEA recorded other major arrests and seizures. In Gombe State, a 65-year-old driver, Sada’u Mohammed, was arrested along the Gombe–Biu highway with 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 27,900 tramadol pills and other opioids allegedly heading to Borno State.
In Lagos, operatives arrested a 47-year-old businessman, Ignatius Egbochie, also known as Brown, over an earlier seizure of 26 kilogrammes of “loud” cannabis at the Tincan Port. The drugs were discovered during a joint container examination involving the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.
The agency also said its operatives carried out coordinated raids between December 21 and 25, 2025, destroying warehouses and seizing large quantities of cannabis in Ekiti, Edo, Cross River, Abuja, Lagos and Taraba States, with several suspects taken into custody.
In Ekiti State, NDLEA officers set ablaze cannabis warehouses in Ara Forest, Ara-Ekiti, where 638 kilogrammes of skunk were recovered.
In Edo State, 1,205 blocks of compressed cannabis, weighing 883.1 kilogrammes, were seized from three vehicles intercepted along the Igara–Auchi Road.
In Cross River State, raids at Agoi-Ibami community in Yakurr Local Government Area led to the arrest of three suspects and the seizure of large quantities of skunk.
The NDLEA said the arrests and seizures underscored the agency’s resolve to dismantle drug trafficking networks and prevent illicit drugs from reaching both local and international markets.
The agency reiterated its warning to traffickers and their collaborators that it would sustain nationwide surveillance, intelligence-driven operations and inter-agency collaboration to curb drug abuse and trafficking in Nigeria.
