Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a notorious drug trafficker, Nwobodo Chidiebere Basil, alongside three others, following the interception of a United Kingdom-bound cocaine consignment concealed in factory-sealed sachets of liquid starch at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
The suspect, an ex-convict, was identified as the mastermind behind the attempted export of 75 parcels of cocaine weighing 1.50 kilograms discovered at the airport’s export shed. NDLEA officers first arrested three cargo agents — Jubrin Firdausi Hassana, Kuku Daniel Oluwasegun and Igwe Chioma Jane — on Saturday, 20 December 2025, before intelligence-led investigations traced the shipment to Nwobodo.
He was subsequently arrested on Sunday, 21 December, at a relaxation centre in Ikeja while on a date with his girlfriend.
NDLEA records revealed that Nwobodo had previously been arrested in May 2023 for trafficking 30.10 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in powdered custard containers, also bound for the UK. He was convicted by a Federal High Court, fined ₦7 million, sentenced to five years imprisonment with an option of fine, and ordered to perform one month of community service. After paying the fine, he returned to drug trafficking.
In separate operations across the country, NDLEA operatives intensified raids that led to the seizure of large quantities of cannabis and opioids. In Ekiti State, officers set ablaze cannabis farms and wooden warehouses in Ara forest, Ara-Ekiti, while recovering 638 kilograms of skunk. In Edo State, 1,205 blocks of compressed cannabis sativa weighing 883.1 kilograms were recovered from three Toyota Camry vehicles along the Igara-Auchi Road.
In Cross River State, three suspects were arrested during a raid at Agoi-Ibami community, Yakurr Local Government Area, with a total of 908 kilograms of skunk seized. Another suspect, Joy Oisamaye, 42, was arrested along the Abaji–Abuja Expressway with 38 kilograms of cannabis while travelling from Edo State.
Lagos operations also yielded arrests, including Ajoke Dauda, who was apprehended with 45.5 kilograms of skunk at Agbara along the Badagry Expressway on Christmas Day, and Oluwasegun Felix, arrested a day earlier with 18.5 kilograms of the same substance at Itoga, Badagry.
Further arrests were recorded in Taraba State, where two suspects were nabbed with 48 kilograms of cannabis, and in Gombe State, where a 65-year-old driver, Sada’u Mohammed, was arrested with 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 27,900 pills of tramadol while heading to Borno State.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives have arrested a wanted businessman, Ignatius Egbochie, also known as “Brown,” in connection with the seizure of 56 parcels of “Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis weighing 26 kilograms, at the Tincan Seaport, Lagos. The drugs were earlier intercepted during a joint container examination involving NDLEA, Customs and other security agencies.
Across the country, the Agency also sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, communities and places of worship.
Commending NDLEA commands involved in the operations, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the officers’ commitment and urged them to maintain professionalism and heightened vigilance throughout the festive season and beyond.