China-bound auto parts dealer arrested at Kano Airport with 95 cocaine wraps ingested
Kola Oyelere Kano
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 62-year-old Lagos-based businessman, Nwabueze Nicholas Izueke, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, for attempting to traffic cocaine to China by ingesting the illicit substance.
NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja, disclosed this in a statement,
He said that the suspect was intercepted on Saturday, January 31, 2026, during outward clearance of passengers travelling to China via Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940.
According to the statement, Izueke tested positive during a body scan and was placed under excretion observation, during which he expelled 95 jumbo-sized wraps of cocaine with a total weight of 1.589 kilograms.
The suspect reportedly told investigators that he went into drug trafficking to raise funds to complete a house project in his hometown of Iwollo, Enugu State.
He claimed to be involved in clothing and auto spare parts business in Lagos.
The agency also announced multiple drug seizures and arrests across the country within the same period.
In the Federal Capital Territory, NDLEA operatives recovered 627.7 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis, from a makeshift warehouse at Fums Plaza in Kubwa. Officers also foiled attempts by suspects — Ebube Okeke, Evans Ugwu, Mohammed Eze Arinze and Friday Michael — to move consignments of methamphetamine hidden inside MP3 speakers from Enugu to Abuja and Kaduna.
Follow-up operations led to additional arrests and seizures of methamphetamine parcels in Zuba and Kaduna.
In Taraba State, officers at the Dan-anacha patrol point in Gassol Local Government Area intercepted a suspect transporting yogurt packs concealing methamphetamine weighing 1.8 kilograms along the Lagos–Mubi route.
Operations in Oyo State led to the arrest of multiple suspects and the recovery of large quantities of skunk, tramadol capsules, pentazocine injections, and precursor chemicals used in the production of synthetic cannabis known as Colorado. Cash and vehicles were also seized in connection with the arrests.
In Kwara State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a petrol tanker travelling from Lagos to Maiduguri and discovered 395,400 capsules of tramadol hidden within the vehicle. The driver was taken into custody.
Other raids in Imo, Ondo, Lagos, and Enugu states resulted in further arrests and seizures of cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine, and other narcotics, including drugs concealed in luggage and transported through waterways.
Meanwhile, the agency said its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign continued with awareness lectures in schools and advocacy visits to community and traditional leaders.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers across MAKIA, Marine, FCT, Taraba, Oyo, Kwara, Imo, Ondo, Lagos and other commands for the arrests and seizures, urging them to sustain professionalism and commitment in drug supply and demand reduction efforts.
