The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Brazil-based Nigerian businessman, Uche Franklin Onyekwere, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, for allegedly concealing cocaine in his private part and the soles of his footwear.
Onyekwere, 47, was apprehended on Thursday, January 29, 2026, during the inward clearance of passengers arriving from Brazil via Johannesburg on a South African Airways flight. NDLEA operatives said a body scan confirmed illicit drug concealment, leading to a strip search that uncovered three wraps of cocaine weighing 1.60 kilograms.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect allegedly purchased the cocaine in Brazil with plans to resell it in Nigeria to raise capital for his business and fund the naming ceremony of his newborn child.
In a separate operation in Lagos, NDLEA officers at the Tincan Seaport intercepted 55 jumbo bags of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 1,183 kilograms. The drugs, imported from Montreal, Canada, were discovered on Wednesday, January 28, during a joint examination with Customs and other security agencies. The illicit consignment was concealed inside a Hyundai SUV and a Toyota Matrix vehicle within a container.
Also in Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested Oragwan Ekene on Friday, January 30, at Okeyson Park, Alaba, with 15.5 kilograms of skunk allegedly bound for Onitsha, Anambra State. Additionally, 3.5 kilograms of skunk were recovered from a sound system and cereal packs found in the luggage of Omang Peter Edward at the Seme border, Badagry, Lagos, as he arrived from Cotonou, Benin Republic.
Commending the Lagos operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the officers for their professionalism and urged them to sustain the agency’s strategy.
“You must continue to intensify both drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts to safeguard our communities,” Marwa said.
