BY FRONTLINE REPORTERS

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two Nigerian businessmen based in Europe for allegedly ingesting 200 wraps of cocaine in an attempt to smuggle the drugs from Abuja to Paris, France.

The agency also arrested a woman found in possession of 266 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway, while several large consignments of illicit drugs were seized in coordinated operations across the country.

According to the NDLEA, the two suspects, Aliocus Godian Odife and Sam Blackborn, were intercepted on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, during the outward clearance of Air France flight AF832 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

A body scan conducted by operatives revealed foreign objects in their stomachs, prompting their arrest. Odife, who reportedly resides in France and works in a factory, had arrived in Nigeria on October 21 for a short holiday.

During interrogation, he allegedly admitted to ingesting 110 wraps of cocaine. He was subsequently placed under observation and excreted all 110 wraps, weighing 1.901 kilogrammes.

His co-traveller, Blackborn, was also found to have ingested cocaine. He reportedly confessed to swallowing 90 wraps, which he later excreted under observation. The recovered consignment weighed 1.559 kilogrammes, bringing the total cocaine seized from both suspects to 3.460 kilogrammes.

In Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted a white Volkswagen LT 28 bus along Kudirat Abiola Way, Ikeja, on Sunday, October 25, following intelligence on the movement of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis, from the Island to the Mainland. A total of 537 kilogrammes of the substance was recovered.

On the same day, another team intercepted a brown J5 bus along the Gbagada-Oshodi Expressway, recovering an additional 439 kilogrammes of skunk.

In Oyo State, two suspects, Oguntona Nasiru, 46, and Soji Balogun, 47, were arrested on Thursday, October 29, while allegedly loading 554 kilogrammes of skunk into a Volvo truck along Idere Road, Igboora.

The operation targeted a suspected drug dealer identified as “Omo Oba”, who reportedly escaped arrest on October 25 when operatives seized 309.5 kilogrammes of cannabis, popularly known as Ghanaian Loud, allegedly linked to him.

In Kano State, operatives raided a location in the Tsamiya area of Gezawa on Monday, October 26, recovering 247,500 tablets of diazepam weighing 57.7 kilogrammes and 100,000 tablets of Exol-5 weighing 38.7 kilogrammes.

Another operation in the Dorayi area on October 28 led to the arrest of Ziya’ulhaq Abdullahi, 35, and Garba Muhammed, 52, with 19,250 tablets of tramadol 225mg weighing 13.6 kilogrammes.

Meanwhile, a woman identified as Aisha Isah was arrested at a toll gate along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway during a patrol. Operatives reportedly recovered 266 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition from her.

On the Zaria-Kano Expressway, NDLEA operatives arrested 68-year-old Ifeanyi Egwolonwu at Gwargwaje, Zaria, with 2,770 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 100 ampoules of diazepam injection, 11,000 tablets of diazepam and 4,500 tablets of Exol-5.

In another operation at Tashan Banke, Kano State, seven suspects, including Faisal Adamu, were arrested, while 178.85 kilogrammes of cannabis were recovered alongside quantities of diazepam, tramadol, Exol-5 and pregabalin.

In Ondo State, operatives acting on intelligence raided cannabis farms in Ijare Forest on Sunday, October 25, arresting four suspects, including Bassey Okon, 24; Abraham Edet, 20; and Oto Udo, 24. The operation yielded 16 bags of processed cannabis weighing 180 kilogrammes.

Similarly, NDLEA operatives, supported by soldiers, raided Eko Camp in Ilushi, Esan South-East Local Government Area of Edo State, on Wednesday, October 28. The operation led to the destruction of a cannabis plantation measuring 1.646 hectares, with an estimated yield of 4,115.53 kilogrammes.

A 50-year-old woman, Christiana Uboi, was arrested at the camp with 301 kilogrammes of processed cannabis, while an additional 176 kilogrammes was recovered during the operation.

In Sokoto State, operatives of the agency’s Zone 7 Command, acting on intelligence, arrested a 68-year-old man, Ibrahim Ayuba, on Saturday, October 31, with 236.6 kilogrammes of skunk.

Beyond its enforcement activities, the NDLEA said its commands and formations nationwide continued public sensitisation programmes under its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign.

The awareness activities included enlightenment lectures for students and staff of Obawole Grammar School II, Ojodu, Lagos; Nsukka High School, Nsukka, Enugu State; Government Technical College, Dorayi Babba Rijiyar Zaki, Gwale Local Government Area of Kano State; and Ajagbe Comprehensive High School, Iperu, Ogun State, among others.

Reacting to the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, Ondo, Oyo and Edo commands for their efforts.

Marwa described the arrest of the two cocaine couriers at the Abuja airport as a warning to Nigerians living abroad who might believe their foreign residency could shield them from international drug trafficking investigations.

He said NDLEA officers at the country’s entry and exit points remained vigilant, warning that there was no hiding place for anyone willing to risk their lives and freedom by ingesting illicit drugs for financial rewards.

The NDLEA boss urged officers nationwide to sustain the fight against drug trafficking networks while intensifying demand-reduction efforts through public enlightenment in schools, places of worship, workplaces and communities.

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