A 42-year-old Angolan businessman, Mbala Dajou Abuba, has been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) while attempting to traffic a large consignment of cocaine to Istanbul, Turkey.
The suspect, who hails from Zaire province in Angola, was caught on February 25, 2025, while trying to board an Egypt Air flight MS 880 from Kano to Istanbul via Cairo.
According to an NDLEA statement on Sunday, a body scan revealed he had ingested illicit drugs, leading to his placement under observation. Over a series of seven excretions, Abuba expelled 120 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.829 kilograms.
The suspect reportedly told operatives that he was engaged in township delivery services in Angola before venturing into the illegal drug trade.
Another drug trafficking attempt was foiled when NDLEA operatives at the Lagos International Airport arrested an auto spare parts dealer, Okeke Ebuka Igwe, on February 24.
Acting on credible intelligence, officers discovered two parcels of 1.10 kilograms of cocaine concealed in vehicle propellers meant for shipment to Angola. Igwe, who trades in ASPANDA, Trade Fair Complex, Lagos, is currently in custody.
Similarly, a suspect identified as Ezechi Iyke Cyprian was intercepted on February 23 while attempting to transport a significant quantity of cocaine weighing 5.40 kilograms to Owerri, Imo State.
NDLEA’s special operations unit, acting on weeks of intelligence, apprehended him while he was traveling in his Toyota Sienna bus.
At the Tincan seaport in Lagos, NDLEA operatives discovered 128 parcels of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, hidden in two mattresses inside the trunk of a Toyota Venza car imported from Canada.
The 63.75kg consignment was uncovered on February 28 during a joint examination of a targeted container marked TCNU 1945861 from Montreal, Canada. The consignee, 44-year-old Bamidele Joseph, has been arrested.
In Delta State, NDLEA operatives backed by the military raided a forest in the Innam-Abbi/Orogun community of Ndokwa West Local Government Area on February 27, destroying over 50,000kg of cannabis cultivated on a 20-hectare farmland.
Five suspects—Augustine Subaru, Ukoba Malachukwu, Odalonu Emmanuel, Esuabom Macaulay, and Itoje Safe—were arrested during the operation.
Further efforts led to the interception of a Mercedes Benz truck marked AWK 791 ZJ along the Abraka-Orogun road on February 28, resulting in the seizure of 101 bags of skunk totaling 1,111 kilograms.
In Edo State, a similar operation in Okpuje, Owan West LGA, led to the discovery of over 100 jumbo bags of skunk stored in warehouses. NDLEA operatives confiscated a total of 1,409.5kg of the psychoactive substance and arrested two suspects, Oikelomen Osere Monday and Glory Iroyo.
In Oyo State, NDLEA officers at the Ibadan end of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway apprehended Michael Omoloki with 58.5 kilograms of skunk.
Similarly, in Kwara State, operatives arrested a Beninese national, Lawali Mohammed, along Eiyenkorin expressway in Ilorin on February 24.
He was found in possession of 2,980 tramadol tablets and multiple diazepam pills.
In Osun State, NDLEA operatives intercepted 1.05kg of skunk hidden in detergent soap and biscuit cartons on February 27 along the Ibadan-Gbongan expressway. A suspect, Sunday Ogbu, was arrested in connection with the consignment.
Meanwhile, in Zamfara State, Ayuba Mustapha was caught with 24,700 tramadol pills on February 23 at Tsafe, while in Borno, Mustapha Shettima was found with 31kg of skunk, 1,000 tramadol pills, and N720,000 in cash along Bama Road, Maiduguri, on February 26.
Additionally, Adamu Idris was arrested the same day along Zaria Road in Kano with 140 blocks of cannabis weighing 73.5 kilograms.
Commending the officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Marwa (Retd), praised their commitment to the agency’s dual approach of drug supply reduction and demand reduction.
“Their tireless efforts in combating drug trafficking and abuse are commendable, and we will continue to intensify our crackdown on illicit drug networks across the country,” Marwa stated.
