NDLEA Shares Operation Details As Businessman Excretes 120 Wraps Of Cocaine At Kano Airport [Photos]

Operatives from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) apprehended a 42-year-old Angolan businessman, Mbala Dajou Abuba, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) in Kano.

He was caught attempting to smuggle a significant quantity of cocaine, which he had ingested, en route to Istanbul, Turkey. Abuba, hailing from the Zaire province of Angola, was detained on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, at the airport’s screening area while preparing to board Egypt Air flight MS 880 to Istanbul via Cairo.

A body scan revealed the presence of illicit substances, leading to his placement under observation for excretion, during which he expelled 120 pellets of cocaine weighing a total of 1.829 kilograms across seven excretions.

Abuba

In his account, the suspect stated that he previously operated a township delivery service in Angola before engaging in drug trafficking.

Naija News reports that details of the operations were revealed in a statement by the Director, Media & Advocacy NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, Femi Babafemi, dated Sunday, 2nd March 2025.

Other Incidents

In a separate incident, NDLEA operatives intercepted Okeke Ebuka Igwe, an auto spare parts dealer, who attempted to send two parcels containing 1.10 kilograms of cocaine hidden within vehicle propellers to Angola.

Following reliable intelligence, his arrest occurred on Monday, February 24, at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos.

Additionally, Ezechi Iyke Cyprian was apprehended on Sunday, February 23, while trying to transport 5.40 kilograms of cocaine to Owerri, Imo State, in his Toyota Sienna bus.

This operation was executed by a special operations unit of the NDLEA after weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance.

Furthermore, on Friday, February 28, at the Tincan seaport in Lagos, NDLEA operatives uncovered 128 parcels of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, concealed within two mattresses in the trunk of a Toyota Venza car imported from Canada.

The 63.75kg shipment was uncovered during a coordinated inspection of a specific container labeled TCNU 1945861 from Montreal, Canada, conducted by the NDLEA, Customs, and various security agencies.

The shipment recipient, 44-year-old Bamidele Joseph, has been apprehended and is currently in custody.

In Delta State, on Thursday, February 27th, NDLEA operatives, with military support, raided a forest in the Innam-Abbi/Orogun community within the Ndokwa West local government area, where they eradicated over 50,000kg of cannabis cultivated on a 20-hectare farm.

Five individuals were detained during this operation, including Augustine Subaru, 45; Ukoba Malachukwu, 53; Odalonu Emmanuel, 40; Esuabom Macaulay, 35; and Itoje Safe, 54.

NDLEA

In a separate incident in Delta, on Friday, February 28th, NDLEA operatives intercepted a Mercedes Benz truck with the registration AWK 791 ZJ along the Abraka-Orogun road. A thorough search of the vehicle resulted in the recovery of 101 bags of skunk, weighing a total of 1,111kg.

In Edo State, on Saturday, March 1st, NDLEA officers, aided by military personnel, conducted a raid in the Okpuje community of Owan West LGA, where they destroyed over 100 large bags of skunk stored in warehouses and seized a total of 1,409.5kg of the psychoactive substance, leading to the arrest of Oikelomen Osere Monday, 38, and Glory Iroyo, 42.

Additionally, a suspect named Michael Omoloki, 46, was apprehended with 58.5 kilograms of skunk at the Ibadan end of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway in Oyo State.

Meanwhile, in Kwara State, on Monday, February 24th, Lawali Mohammed from Benin was arrested with 2,980 tablets of tramadol and numerous diazepam pills on the Eiyenkorin expressway in Ilorin.

In Osun State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Ibadan/Gbongan expressway intercepted a shipment of 1.05kg of skunk concealed within detergent soap and biscuit cartons, leading to the arrest of Sunday Ogbu, 45. Furthermore, Ayuba Mustapha, 30, was detained in Ts.

In Borno state, Mustapha Shettima, aged 50, was apprehended by NDLEA operatives on Wednesday, February 26th, with a substantial haul of 31kg of skunk, 1,000 tramadol pills, and N720,000 in cash along Bama Road in Maiduguri.

On the same day, Adamu Idris, 40, was also arrested along Zaria road in Kano, found in possession of 140 blocks of cannabis totaling 73.5kg.

NDLEA’s Efforts to Combat Drug Abuse

In a continued effort to combat drug abuse, the Agency’s Commands and formations nationwide have been actively engaged in their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization initiatives over the past week.

These activities have included educational lectures at various institutions, such as Ansarudeen Junior Secondary School in Ojuelegba, Lagos; Loretto Girls Special Science School in Adazinnukwu, Anambra state; and Tudun Murtala Special Primary School in Nasarawa LGA, Kano state, among others.

Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, praised the officers and personnel from MMIA, MAKIA, SOU, and various state commands, including Delta, Edo, Oyo, Kano, Osun, Borno, Zamfara, and Kwara for their commendable arrests and seizures.

He acknowledged their operational achievements and the balanced strategies employed in both drug supply reduction and demand reduction efforts across the country.