By Peter Omopo
Operatives of the (NDLEA) have arrested a China-based Nigerian businessman and two Angolan nationals for attempting to smuggle 236 wraps of cocaine through two major international airports in Nigeria.
The agency disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
According to the statement, the suspects — Ibeanu Vincent Chukwudulue, 34, alongside Angolan nationals Mbandu Martins Makiadi, 50, and Ngoma Wilson Fernando, 52 — excreted a total of 236 wraps of cocaine after being placed under observation following body scans that confirmed ingestion of illicit substances.
Ibeanu was arrested on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, at the , Abuja. He had boarded a flight QR1432 from Kano en route to China via Abuja and Doha when NDLEA operatives, acting on credible intelligence, requested that he be deboarded for screening.
A body scan reportedly confirmed he had ingested illicit drugs. He subsequently excreted 52 pellets of cocaine weighing 735.95 grams. During interrogation, the suspect said he previously ran a business on Lagos Island before relocating to Guangzhou, China, in 2024.
In a related operation, the two Angolan suspects were apprehended at the while attempting to board an flight ET940 to Istanbul, Turkey, via Addis Ababa.
NDLEA officials said both men tested positive for ingesting drugs during body scans and were placed under observation. Mbandu reportedly excreted 76 wraps of cocaine weighing 920 grams in seven rounds, while Ngoma expelled 108 pellets weighing 1.33 kilograms in five excretions.
The suspects, who hail from Hoji Ya Henda in Luanda, Angola, claimed they were recruited by an automobile spare parts dealer based in Luanda, who allegedly promised to pay them $3,000 each upon successful delivery of the drugs in Turkey.
In a separate operation in Abuja on February 12, NDLEA operatives intercepted a waybill package from Enugu containing a children’s toy guitar. A search revealed two parcels of “Canadian Loud,” a strain of cannabis, weighing 59.2 grams concealed inside the toy. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the alleged owner of the consignment, Henry Onuma, at Dream City Estate, Life Camp.
In Lagos, NDLEA officers on Friday, February 13, raided a four-bedroom duplex at 2 Alexandria Terrace, Ikate-Elegushi, Lekki, allegedly used for the production and storage of “Colorado,” a synthetic cannabis product. The operation followed the seizure of 73 cartons of nitrous oxide at Iyare Motor Park along the Ajah–Epe Expressway. The consignment was reportedly bound for Benin City, Edo State.
The driver transporting the shipment, Amos Innocent, was arrested, while another suspect, Victor Oyedeji, was apprehended at the Lekki residence where 13.2 kilograms of freshly produced Colorado and precursor chemicals were recovered.
In Oyo State, a 45-year-old suspected female drug dealer, Oluwayemisi Bunmi, was arrested on February 11 at the Hope Alakia area of Ibadan. Recovered items from her residence reportedly included 1.189 kilograms of Colorado and skunk, 320 grams of methamphetamine, ₦2,975,000 in cash, and two Toyota Matrix vehicles.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives intercepted 105,400 pills of tramadol from a suspect, Kamilu Abdullahi, 43, in the Bode Saadu area of Kwara State on February 12. The drugs were discovered in his J5 vehicle marked DTM-765XA.
In Edo State, five suspects — Murtala Mohammed, Abdulkadir Idris Mohammed, Ufoma Edafe, Anthony Aghati, and Emmanuel Owalu Ekele — were arrested on February 14 during a raid on Yoruba Camp in Olumoye Forest, Ovia North East Local Government Area. Officers reportedly recovered 563.5 kilograms of skunk during the operation.
Reacting to the arrests and seizures, the Chairman of the NDLEA, , commended officers across the Kano, Lagos, Edo, Kwara, Federal Capital Territory, and Oyo Commands for their professionalism and commitment.
Marwa urged personnel nationwide to sustain the agency’s balanced strategy of drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction, reaffirming the agency’s resolve to combat drug trafficking and abuse across the country.
