The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has announced that a 59-year-old businessman, Chijioke Nnanna Igbokwe, underwent surgery, an exploratory laparotomy, to remove 57 out of 81 pellets of cocaine stuck in his stomach after seven days of ingesting the illicit substance in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The NDLEA stated that Igbokwe was arrested by operatives at the arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, during the inward clearance of passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines flight on Sunday, 26th January 2025. He was promptly taken for a body scan, which revealed illicit drugs in his system.

Chijoke Nnanna Igbokwe

This information was disclosed on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja.

Babafemi explained that investigations revealed Igbokwe, who claims to be involved in the clothing business at Arena, Oshodi area of Lagos, departed Lagos on 22nd January to Addis Ababa, where he ingested the 81 wraps of cocaine on 23rd January. He then boarded a flight to Beirut, Lebanon, to deliver the consignment for a fee of $3,000.

Upon his arrival in Beirut, he was refused entry because he had less than $2,000, the minimum amount required to grant him entry. He was subsequently deported to Addis Ababa, where he attempted to excrete the illicit drugs but failed. He later proceeded to Lagos on Saturday, 25th January, with the consignment in his bowel. However, he was arrested upon his arrival at Lagos airport by NDLEA officers on 26th January.

After five days under excretion observation, he expelled only 24 pellets following initial medical intervention at the Agency’s medical facility and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja.

With time running out and complications arising from other underlying medical conditions, the suspect was eventually admitted to a tertiary facility, where he underwent exploratory laparotomy to extract the remaining 57 wraps of cocaine from his stomach. This was done after his wife and brother signed the necessary consent forms on Thursday, 30th January.

In total, 81 pellets of the Class A drug, with a gross weight of 1.943 kilograms, were recovered from his stomach.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Lagos intercepted a consignment of 2,000 kilograms of Ghanaian Loud, a strain of cannabis produced in Ghana, at Lekki beach on Wednesday, 29th January. Two suspects, Sunday Awoyede and Christopher Cletus, were apprehended while attempting to load the consignment into a truck. The suspects, the skunk shipment, and the van were immediately taken into custody.

Additionally, another suspect, Lawal Idris Olasunkanmi, was arrested on the same day with 55 kilograms of skunk during a raid at his base in the Mushin area of Lagos.

Reacting to the development, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers and men of the MMIA Strategic Command for their vigilance and professionalism in handling Chijioke Igbokwe’s case.

Marwa warned those involved in the illicit drug trade that they are not only destroying the lives of others but also putting their own lives at great risk.

He also applauded the Lagos State Strategic Command for intercepting the large consignment of skunk from entering the country.

The NDLEA boss further recognized the efforts of their compatriots in all commands across the country for intensifying the WADA social advocacy lectures and sensitization activities aimed at creating a balance in the agency’s drug supply and demand reduction efforts.