NDLEA Arrests Businessman Returning from Brazil with Cocaine Concealed in Stomach
A 59-year-old Nigerian businessman, Ezeokoli Sylva, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, for smuggling 700 grams of cocaine concealed in his stomach.
Ezeokoli, who had spent 35 years in Brazil operating an African store, was intercepted on November 29, 2024, after arriving from São Paulo on an Ethiopian Airlines flight via Addis Ababa. A body scan revealed foreign objects in his stomach, leading to his placement under observation, during which he excreted 29 wraps of cocaine. He admitted to purchasing the drugs in São Paulo to resell in Nigeria to raise funds for his business.
In related operations, NDLEA intercepted two consignments of cocaine (200 grams) and pentazocine injections (110 grams) at a courier company in Lagos on November 26, destined for the United Kingdom.
On November 28, operatives in Kano arrested three suspects—Jamilu Adamu, Umar Musa, and Bunu Ali—with 2,000 ampoules of pentazocine and over 3 million pills of exol-5 at Gadar Tamburawa, Zaria Road.
In Lagos, 2,120 kilograms of "Ghanaian Loud" cannabis were seized at Ilesan Beach, leading to the arrest of Onibogi Muftau. Four vehicles meant to transport the drugs were also recovered. Similarly, 472 kilograms of the same substance were confiscated on November 25 at Idi-Iroko, Ogun State.
In Edo State, operatives arrested Monday Onyenemue and Evans Omogiede on November 28 during a raid in Benin City. They seized 185.6 kilograms of cannabis and a Toyota Previa van transporting the drugs.
The NDLEA also intensified its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through lectures in schools, markets, and communities across Nigeria, including Kano, Adamawa, Enugu, Ekiti, and Cross River States.
NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the agency’s officers for their operational successes and balanced efforts in combating drug trafficking and abuse nationwide.
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