Ikwuakalom Nwakoro Emeka, 74, was detained by National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) agents at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on suspicion of trying to smuggle 11 kg of cocaine into food products while flying to the United Kingdom.
On Saturday, March 14, 2026, the septuagenarian was arrested in the departure hall while trying to board British Airways aircraft BA082, which was headed to London’s Heathrow Airport.
NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi said in a statement on Sunday that 11 kg of cocaine were found in the suspect’s luggage during a search.
According to reports, the illegal substances were meticulously hidden among food items, such as crushed dry pepper, and wrapped in foil wrappers and balloons.
According to Babafemi, the suspect was stopped by NDLEA agents at the airport while claiming to be on holiday in London.
As part of its ongoing anti-drug operations, the agency also announced several arrests and seizures in other regions of the nation.
Maryam Olalowo was detained by NDLEA agents in Lagos at the Ikad Hotel and Suites on Etim Inyang Street, Victoria Island, for reportedly trying to sell 20 grams of the cannabis strain Canadian Loud and 89 grams of cocaine. At the time of the arrest, she was reportedly with her three children, one of whom was a baby.
Ibrahim Olalowo Olatunji, her husband, was arrested as a result of additional inquiry after he allegedly admitted to being the owner of the drug. Authorities also revealed that he had been found guilty of a similar crime in 2015 and given a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence.
Following the discovery of 68,000 tramadol pills in a vehicle purportedly intended for transportation to the Benin Republic, NDLEA officers detained two suspects in another operation on Lagos Island. Another suspect was apprehended and more tramadol tablets ready for waybill delivery were found during a follow-up raid at Idumota Market.
Large amounts of skunk and other illegal narcotics were seized, and the agency also recorded individual arrests in other regions of the nation.
339,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup were found at Apapa Seaport by NDLEA agents working with customs officers. The bottles were hidden in two containers that had been put on a watch list due to intelligence reports.
Buba Marwa, the chairman and chief executive officer of NDLEA, praised the arrests and seizures made by officers in Abuja, Lagos, Kano, and Edo states and urged them to continue their efforts to lower the nation’s supply and demand of illegal substances.
THE sun
