The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a
74-year-old grandpa, Ikwuakalom Nwakoro Emeka, while attempting to smuggle 11kg of cocaine to London.
The NDLEA said the suspect was intercepted on Saturday, March 14, 2026, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) Abuja after a large consignment of cocaine was discovered in foil papers and balloons concealed in his luggage.
Spokesman of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement obtained by Vital News on Sunday.
Babafemi said : ” The septuagenarian who claimed he was travelling to London, United Kingdom for vacation, was arrested by NDLEA officers at the departure hall of the Abuja airport while attempting to board a British Airways flight BA082 to Heathrow London on Saturday 14th March 2026.
“During a search of his luggage, blocks of cocaine weighing 11 kilograms were discovered concealed inside food items, including ground dry pepper, carefully wrapped in foil papers and balloons.”
The Agency said its operatives in Lagos while acting on credible intelligence in the early hours of Monday, 9th March arrested a woman, Mrs. Maryam Olalowo at Ikad Hotel and Suites, on Etim Inyang Street, Victoria Island, while attempting to sell 89grams of cocaine and 20grams of Canadian Loud, a strain of cannabis.
“She was found with her three children, including an infant, at the time of the arrest.
“She confessed the illicit drugs belong to her husband, Ibrahim Olalowo Olatunji, who was later taken into custody same day while his wife was immediately set free.
‘Ibrahim confirmed ownership of the illicit drugs in his statement while further investigation revealed that he had previously been arrested, convicted, and sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment for a similar offence in 2015,” the statement said.
Also in another interdiction operation, the NDLEA said its operatives arrested two suspects ; Kalilou Simpara and Saidu Ibrahim at Ebute Ero, Lagos Island where they recovered 68,000 pills of tramadol 250mg and 225mg after they had loaded the exhibits into their truck and preparing to transport them to Benin Republic on Monday 9th March.
Babafemi said : ” A follow-up operation was conducted on Wednesday, 11th March at Idumota market, Lagos Island, where the actual owner of the consignment, Nnamdi Cyprian, was arrested.
“A search of his shop led to the discovery of a parcel already prepared for waybill delivery, containing 1,000 tablets of tramadol 250mg.
“Another raid at Idumota market on Friday, 13th March led to the arrest of Nwanosike Kelvin and the recovery of 47,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection from his shop.
“While a 42-year-old Magaji Dan Azumi was arrested at Bebeji area of Kano with 386kg skunk on Tuesday, 10th March, NDLEA officers in Abuja recovered 282.2kg skunk from a suspect Isah Wako, 42, in Gwagwalada area of the FCT on Friday 13th March.
“In Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided the Egwa forest reserve in Aduan village, Orhionmwon LGA where a suspect Chinedo Odalonu,33, was apprehended and a total of 4,218.96kg skunk destroyed on two farms with 16.5kg of same substance recovered.
“No fewer than 339,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup were intercepted in two containers at the Apapa seaport in Lagos on Saturday, 14th March during a joint examination of the shipments by NDLEA officers, men of Customs and other security agencies.
“The containers had earlier been watch-listed by NDLEA following credible intelligence on concealment of opioids in them.”
The NDLEA said its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities was also scaled up across its various formations and commands during the week under review.
“Some of them include WADA sensitization lecture delivered to students and staff of ERCC Secondary School, Duguru, Nasarawa; Awoyemi Commercial High School, Okeho, Oyo; Ogunu Primary School, Ogunu, Delta; Seven Angels University Secondary School, Ikot Enobong, Calabar, Cross River; and Edo National College, Iguobazuwa, Edo State, while the Zone 11 Command of NDLEA paid a WADA advocacy visit to Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru of Ebonyi State, among others,” according to the statement.
In his reaction, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, retired Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa commended officers and men of NAIA, Lagos, Kano, Edo and FCT Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures.
Marwa also praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for pursuing a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
(vitalnewsngr.com)
