The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 48-year-old businessman, Nwankwo Onyebuchi, with 1.550kg of cocaine allegedly concealed inside the walls and railings of his luggage at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
Onyebuchi, a marble dealer based in Lagos, was arrested at the departure hall of Terminal II of the airport while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to New Delhi, India.
The NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the arrest in a statement issued on Sunday.
Babafemi said operatives subjected the suspect’s check-in luggage to a search and discovered 1.550kg of cocaine factory-fitted into the walls and railings of the bag.
According to the agency, Onyebuchi confessed that he had disposed of his marble business and other assets to raise N23 million to finance the purchase of the drug consignment.
He reportedly told investigators that he expected to sell the cocaine in India for as much as N100 million.
“In a candid confession that lays bare the desperation that fuels the drug trade, Nwankwo said he had sold off his marble business and every asset he owned to raise the ₦23 million he paid for the consignment, with the expectation of selling it in India for as much as N100 million,” Babafemi said.
The suspect remains in NDLEA custody and is expected to face prosecution.
In a separate operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence raided a warehouse located within a residential compound at 20 Hakeem Dosumu Street, Ago Palace area of Okota.
The operation, conducted between Friday, August 7 and Saturday, August 8, 2026, led to the recovery of 3,776 cartons containing 377,600 bottles of codeine-based syrup.
The agency valued the controlled substance at more than N2.6 billion.
In another intelligence-led operation, NDLEA operatives on August 14 raided the residence of a 55-year-old alleged drug kingpin, Shoremi Kayode, at 37 Ogundare Street, Ipaja Estate, Ipaja area of Lagos.
The operation resulted in the recovery of 324kg of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, with an estimated street value of N972 million.
Operatives also recovered a Mercedes-Benz and a Toyota Corolla from the residence.
Beyond its enforcement activities, the NDLEA said its War Against Drug Abuse social advocacy campaign continued nationwide throughout the week.
The agency said sensitisation lectures were held for students and staff of Madarasatu Sheikh Muhammad Rabi’u Arabic School in Kano and Olomu Junior Secondary School in Ajah, Lagos State.
The NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers and personnel of the MMIA for the arrests and seizures.
Marwa also praised personnel across the agency’s commands for sustaining what he described as a balance between drug supply reduction and demand reduction initiatives.
