The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 25-year-old newlywed businessman at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, after he allegedly ingested 72 wraps of cocaine in an attempt to traffic the drug to Portugal.
The suspect, identified as Lovely Chukwulobelu, was intercepted in the airport’s departure hall on Thursday, September 25, 2026, while preparing to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Portugal via Addis Ababa. NDLEA said he was placed under observation and subsequently excreted all 72 wraps.
The agency said Chukwulobelu, who resides in Portugal, told investigators he previously ran a car decoration business at the Trade Fair Complex, Ojo, Lagos, before relocating to Portugal in May 2023. He reportedly returned to Nigeria recently and got married on September 13, 2026, telling NDLEA operatives he turned to drug trafficking to offset wedding expenses.
In a separate operation at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA operatives seized 2.55 million pills of Tramaking 225mg, Tramaking 250mg and Royal Tapentadol 250mg during the examination of three monitored consignments. The consignments, weighing a combined 1,640.55kg, were imported from India and Bangladesh via Qatar Airways, RwandAir and Ethiopian Airlines. NDLEA described the haul as one of its biggest opioid interceptions of the year.
In Bauchi State, NDLEA officers arrested Umar Hamidu, 35, and Abdulkarim Salihu, 45, along the Maiduguri bypass with 300 compressed blocks of cannabis weighing 262.5kg. The agency said the cannabis, locally known as skunk, was concealed in the false bottom of a truck with registration number MUB757 YH.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives, supported by soldiers, destroyed two cannabis farms at Eko Camp, Ilushi, with a combined estimated yield of 1,360.23kg
