Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a Brazil-based Nigerian businessman, Uche Onyekwere, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, for smuggling cocaine concealed in his private parts and footwear.
Onyekwere, 47, was apprehended on Thursday, January 29, 2026, during the inward clearance of South African Airways passengers arriving from Brazil via Johannesburg, following actionable intelligence.
A full body scan confirmed the presence of illicit substances, leading to a strip search that uncovered a large wrap of cocaine strapped to his right thigh, alongside two additional wraps hidden in the soles of his shoes.
Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy NDLEA made this known in a statement on Sunday, nothing that three wraps of cocaine weighing 1.60 kilograms were recovered in total.
During preliminary interrogation, the suspect admitted purchasing the drugs in Brazil for resale in Nigeria, claiming the proceeds were meant to boost his toy business and finance the naming ceremony of his newborn child.
He disclosed that he has lived in São Paulo since 2008.
In a related operation at the Tincan Seaport, Lagos, NDLEA officers, in a joint examination with the customs and other security agencies, uncovered 55 jumbo bags of Canadian Loud, a potent cannabis strain, imported from Montreal, Canada.
The 1,183-kilogram consignment was concealed inside a container housing two vehicles: a Hyundai SUV and a Toyota Matrix.
The seizure was made on Wednesday, January 28.
Meanwhile, in Niger State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a truck along the Dei-Dei–Abuja Expressway in the early hours of Tuesday, January 26, arresting three suspects, Andy Chidogu, Kenneth Ogene, and Sadiq Olanrewaju.
The truck was found conveying 176 bags of skunk weighing 2,735 kilograms, along with one kilogram of colorado, a synthetic cannabis.
Investigations revealed that Ogene, the driver, had initially transported 800 bags of flour from Lagos to Ekpoma, Edo State, before negotiating a N1.7 million deal to convey the illicit drugs.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, January 27, arrested Shaibu Yusuf along the Auchi-Abuja Expressway with 66 bags of skunk weighing 792 kilograms concealed in charcoal bags, allegedly destined for Katsina.
The following day, operatives, supported by the army, raided a cannabis farm at Ebora Camp, Ilushi in Esan South East Local Government Area, destroying 4,063.675 kilograms of skunk cultivated on over 1.6 hectares.
Another 328 kilograms of processed cannabis and seeds were recovered, while four suspects were arrested.
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In Anambra State, a cement truck was intercepted at Upper Iweka, Onitsha, on Wednesday, January 28.
A search revealed 345.2 kilograms of skunk concealed in cement bags. One of the occupants, Abum Okeke, was arrested.
Further arrests were recorded in Ondo, Kano, Lagos and at the Seme border.
In Ondo, two suspects were arrested with 473 kilograms of skunk, and in Kano, NDLEA operatives seized 12,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 4,390 pills of tramadol from two suspects. I
Also, in Lagos, a suspect heading to Onitsha was arrested with 15.5 kilograms of skunk, while another 3.5 kilograms was recovered from luggage at the Seme border from a traveller arriving from Cotonou, Benin Republic.
