NDLEA intercepts UK-destined cocaine concealed in starch at Lagos airport

A notorious drug trafficker, Nwobodo Basil, previously convicted in 2023 for trafficking 30.10kg of methamphetamine, has been rearrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). His latest arrest followed the interception of 75 parcels of cocaine weighing 1.50 kilogrammes, concealed in factory-sealed sachets of cold-water starch and destined for the United Kingdom. The seizure was made at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

Three cargo agents Jubrin Firdausi Hassana, Kuku Daniel Oluwasegun, and Igwe Chioma Jane—were apprehended on Saturday, December 20, 2025, while attempting to export the illicit consignment. Further investigations identified 37-year-old Nwobodo Chidiebere Basil as the mastermind behind the operation. He was subsequently arrested on Sunday, December 21, at a relaxation centre in Ikeja.

NDLEA records revealed that Nwobodo had earlier been arrested in May 2023 for attempting to export 30.10kg of methamphetamine concealed in powdered custard containers to London. He was arraigned before the Federal High Court under charge number FHC/L/337C/2023, convicted, and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment with an option of a ₦7,000,000 fine and one month of community service, effective December 4, 2023. After paying the fine, he returned to drug trafficking activities.

In a separate operation in Gombe State, NDLEA operatives arrested a 65-year-old driver, Sada’u Mohammed, along the Gombe–Biu highway while he was conveying 300 ampoules of pentazocine injections, 27,900 tramadol pills, and other opioids en route to Biu in Borno State.

Meanwhile, a 47-year-old businessman, Ignatius Egbochie, also known as Brown, was arrested in Lagos in connection with an earlier seizure of 56 parcels of loud cannabis weighing 26kg at the Tincan Seaport. The drugs were intercepted on December 10 during a joint container examination by NDLEA, Customs, and other security agencies. A follow-up operation on December 19 led to his arrest in Apapa.

Between December 21 and 25, 2025, NDLEA operatives conducted multiple operations across Ekiti, Edo, Cross River, Abuja, Lagos, and Taraba states, resulting in the destruction of cannabis warehouses, the seizure of large quantities of illicit drugs, and the arrest of several suspects.

In Ekiti State, operatives set ablaze warehouses in Ara Forest, Ara-Ekiti, on Monday, December 22, destroying large quantities of skunk cannabis and recovering 638 kilogrammes of the substance. On the same day, 1,205 blocks of compressed cannabis sativa weighing 883.1kg were recovered from three Toyota Camry vehicles intercepted along the Igara–Auchi Road in Edo State.

In Cross River State, raids conducted on Sunday, December 21, in the Agoi-Ibami community of Yakurr Local Government Area led to the arrest of three suspects and the seizure of significant quantities of skunk cannabis. The suspects were identified as Freedom Jonah Akpama, 27, with 671kg; David Itam David, 30, with 89kg; and Nelson Arikpo Osam, 26, with 148kg.