Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 47-year-old Nigeria businessman, Uche Franklin Onyekwere, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, for allegedly smuggling cocaine into the country.
Onyekwere, who is based in Brazil, was apprehended on Thursday, January 29, 2026, while undergoing inward clearance after arriving on a South African Airways flight from Brazil via Johannesburg. The arrest followed what the agency described as credible and actionable intelligence.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, a body scan conducted on the suspect raised red flags, prompting further checks.
The statement revealed that a strip search uncovered wraps of cocaine concealed around the suspect’s right thigh, while additional quantities were discovered hidden in the soles of his footwear.
In total, three large wraps of cocaine weighing 1.60 kilograms were recovered.
During preliminary interrogation, Onyekwere reportedly confessed to purchasing the drugs in Brazil with the intention of selling them in Nigeria.
He allegedly said the proceeds were meant to boost his business and finance the naming ceremony of his newborn child.
Investigations also showed that the suspect has lived in Brazil since 2008, where he operates a toy business.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA recorded several other major seizures across the country.
At the Tincan Seaport in Lagos, operatives intercepted 55 jumbo bags of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis weighing 1,183 kilograms, concealed in a container imported from Montreal, Canada.
The drugs were hidden inside two vehicles—a Hyundai SUV and a Toyota Matrix—during a joint examination with Customs and other security agencies.
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In Niger State, NDLEA officers intercepted a truck along the Dei-Dei–Abuja Expressway, arresting three suspects with 176 bags of skunk weighing 2,735kg and one kilogram of synthetic cannabis (Colorado).
The agency also reported multiple arrests and seizures in Edo, Anambra, Ondo, Kano, and Lagos States, including the destruction of a large cannabis farm in Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo State, where over 4,000 kilograms of skunk were destroyed.
Additional recoveries included tramadol pills, pentazocine injections, and several consignments of skunk concealed in cement trucks, charcoal sacks, sound systems, and luggage at border points.
The NDLEA reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks across Nigeria, warning traffickers that no route, method, or concealment strategy is beyond detection.