By Ayomide Otitoju
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested 37-year-old ex-convict Nwobodo Chidiebere Basil, along with three cargo agents, over an attempted export of cocaine hidden in liquid starch sachets destined for the United Kingdom.
NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, said the arrests followed the seizure of 75 parcels of cocaine, totaling 1.50 kilograms, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) export shed in Ikeja, Lagos. The cargo agents—Jubrin Firdausi Hassana, Kuku Daniel Oluwasegun, and Igwe Chioma Jane—were detained on December 20, while Nwobodo was arrested the following day at a relaxation centre in Ikeja.
“A notorious drug trafficker, Nwobodo Basil, previously convicted in 2023 for dealing in 30.10kg of methamphetamine, has again been apprehended following this seizure,” Babafemi said. He noted that Nwobodo had been sentenced to five years imprisonment with an option of a ₦7 million fine and one month of community service, which he paid before returning to drug trafficking.
In separate operations, NDLEA arrested a 65-year-old driver, Sada’u Mohammed, in Gombe State while transporting 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 27,900 tramadol pills, and other opioids along the Gombe-Biu highway.
Additionally, a 47-year-old businessman, Ignatius Egbochie (alias Brown), wanted over the seizure of 26kg of “loud” cannabis at Tincan Port, Lagos, on December 10, was arrested on December 19 in Apapa following a joint operation with Customs.
NDLEA also conducted raids across Ekiti, Edo, Cross River, Abuja, Lagos, and Taraba between December 21 and 25, seizing large quantities of cannabis and arresting several suspects. In Ara-Ekiti, operatives destroyed warehouses and recovered 638kg of skunk cannabis, while three vehicles along Igara-Auchi road in Edo were intercepted carrying 883.1kg of compressed cannabis.
In Cross River’s Agoi-Ibami community, Yakurr LGA, NDLEA arrested three individuals—Freedom Jonah Akpama (671kg), David Itam David (89kg), and Nelson Arikpo Osam (148kg)—along with large quantities of skunk cannabis.
Babafemi said the operations demonstrate NDLEA’s continued commitment to combating drug trafficking and disrupting illicit drug supply chains across the country.
