The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded major breakthroughs in its nationwide crackdown on illicit drug trafficking, arresting a Brazil-based Nigerian businessman for smuggling cocaine into the country and seizing large consignments of cannabis and other hard drugs across several states.

Operatives of the agency arrested Uche Franklin Onyekwere, 47, at the arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, on Thursday, January 29, 2026. Onyekwere, who arrived on a South African Airways flight from Brazil via Johannesburg, was intercepted based on processed intelligence.

A body scan confirmed illicit concealment, leading to a strip search during which a large parcel of cocaine was found strapped to his right thigh. Further checks uncovered two additional wraps hidden in the soles of his footwear. In total, 1.60 kilogrammes of cocaine were recovered.

During preliminary interrogation, Onyekwere disclosed that he bought the cocaine in Brazil to resell in Nigeria to raise capital for his business and finance the naming ceremony of his newborn child. He claimed to have lived in São Paulo since 2008, where he operates a toy business.

In a separate operation at the Tincan Seaport, Lagos, NDLEA officers, working alongside Customs and other security agencies, uncovered 55 jumbo bags of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 1,183 kilogrammes. The consignment, imported from Montreal, Canada, was concealed inside two vehicles—a Hyundai SUV and a Toyota Matrix—hidden in a container examined on January 28.

In Niger State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a long truck along the Dei-Dei–Abuja Expressway on January 26, arresting Andy Chidogu (49), Kenneth Ogene (45), and Sadiq Olanrewaju (27). The suspects were found transporting 176 bags of skunk weighing 2,735kg, along with 1kg of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis. Investigations revealed the truck driver had negotiated a N1.7 million deal to move the drugs after delivering flour to Edo State.

Also in Edo State, operatives arrested Shaibu Yusuf along the Auchi–Abuja Expressway with 66 bags of skunk weighing 792kg, concealed in charcoal bags. Another operation, supported by the Nigerian Army, led to the raid of a cannabis farm at Ebora Camp, Ilushi, in Esan South East LGA, where over 4,063kg of skunk was destroyed across 1.6 hectares. An additional 328kg of processed cannabis and seeds were recovered, while four suspects were arrested.

In Anambra State, a cement truck intercepted at Upper Iweka, Onitsha, was found to be concealing 345.2kg of skunk beneath bags of cement. The drugs were linked to Abum Okeke (42), one of the truck’s occupants.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Ondo State arrested Tunde Ogundele (39) and Soji Elegbelye (46) in connection with the seizure of 473kg of skunk at Eleyewo community in Akure North.

In Kano State, officers recovered 12,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection from Abdullahi Usman (45), while 4,390 pills of tramadol were seized from Musa Shuaibu (42) in Gaya.

Further arrests were recorded in Lagos and at the Seme border, where suspects were intercepted with skunk concealed in luggage, sound systems, and cereal packs while attempting to move the drugs into Anambra and Lagos states.

Altogether, the NDLEA seized over 9,939 kilogrammes of cannabis varieties, alongside cocaine, tramadol, pentazocine injections, and other illicit substances across Lagos, Niger, Edo, Anambra, Ondo, and Kano states.

Beyond enforcement, the agency sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, workplaces, and communities nationwide.

Commending the officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), urged personnel across all commands to maintain a balanced approach combining drug supply reduction with demand reduction efforts.