UK-bound 74-year-old man arrested with 11kg cocaine
A 74-year-old grandpa, Ikwuakalom Nwakoro Emeka, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) Abuja with large consignment of cocaine in foil papers and balloons concealed in his luggage.
The septuagenarian was to travel to London for vacation aboard a British Airways flight on Saturday 14th March 2026.
The agency said a search of his luggage uncovered blocks of cocaine weighing 11 kilograms concealed in food items, including ground dry pepper, wrapped in foil papers and balloons.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives acting on Monday 9th March arrested a woman, Mrs. Maryam Olalowo at Ikad Hotel and Suites, on Etim Inyang Street, Victoria Island, Lagos while attempting to sell 89 grams of cocaine and 20 grams of Canadian Loud.
The woman was however released when her husband, Ibrahim Olalowo Olatunji, confessed to the ownership of the drugs. Investigation revealed that Ibrahim is a known drug trafficker, who was convicted and sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment for similar offence in 2015.
In another operation, NDLEA operatives have arrested two suspects: Kalilou Simpara and Saidu Ibrahim at Ebetu Ero, Lagos Island after they loaded 68,000 pills of tramadol 250mg and 225mg in their truck for transport them to Benin Republic on Monday 9th March.
“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,” the Agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said in a statement.
Similarly, 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.
Also, 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 been on NDLEA watch list following credible intelligence of concealling opioids.
