Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested a 25-year-old newlywed businessman, Lovely Chukwulobelu, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, for allegedly attempting to traffic 72 wraps of cocaine to Portugal.
The NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, September 27, 2026.
According to Babafemi, Chukwulobelu was intercepted at the airport’s departure hall on Thursday, September 24, while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Portugal through Addis Ababa.
He said the suspect had cocaine concealed in his stomach and was wearing his wedding ring when he was arrested.
Chukwulobelu was subsequently placed under excretion observation, during which he egested a total of 72 wraps of cocaine.
Babafemi said the suspect claimed to be a car decorator at the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo, Lagos, before relocating to Portugal in May 2023.
He reportedly returned to Nigeria recently and got married on September 13, 2026.
According to the NDLEA spokesman, the suspect said he became involved in the alleged drug trafficking in an attempt to offset expenses incurred during his wedding.
In a separate operation, NDLEA officers arrested two Togolese nationals, Yinusa Abdulsamad, 35, and Fatai Baba, 33, along the Iganna-Ilero Road in Iganna, Oyo State.
The suspects were allegedly found with 305.6kg of skunk concealed in two pickup vans used for cross-border trafficking.
Babafemi said the suspects were intercepted on Saturday, September 26, while allegedly moving Ghanaian-sourced cannabis into Nigeria through the Oyo axis.