Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested a 42-year-old Angolan businessman, Mbala Dajou Abuba, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, for attempting to smuggle a large quantity of cocaine to Istanbul, Turkey.
NDLEA officials noted that Abuba, who hails from Zaire Province in Angola, was caught on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, at the airport’s screening point while trying to board Egypt Air flight MS 880 to Istanbul via Cairo.
In a statement released by Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, it was revealed that the suspect was placed under excretion observation. Following a body scan that confirmed he had ingested illicit drugs, Abuba expelled 120 pellets of cocaine, weighing 1.829 kilograms, in seven separate excretions.
During interrogation, Abuba reportedly claimed he was initially involved in the township delivery business in Angola before turning to drug trafficking.
In a related operation, NDLEA agents intercepted an attempt by an auto spare parts dealer, Okeke Ebuka Igwe, to send two parcels of 1.10kg of cocaine hidden inside vehicle propellers to Angola through the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos. Igwe, who was arrested on Monday, February 24, admitted that he runs an auto parts business at ASPANDA, Trade Fair Complex, Lagos.
Meanwhile, another drug suspect, Ezechi Iyke Cyprian, was caught attempting to transport 5.40kg of cocaine to Owerri, Imo State, in a Toyota Sienna bus. NDLEA operatives, who had been monitoring him for weeks, apprehended him on Sunday, February 23.
Further drug busts were recorded at Tincan Seaport in Lagos, where officers discovered 128 parcels of “Canadian Loud,” a potent cannabis strain, hidden in two mattresses inside a Toyota Venza imported from Canada. The seized consignment, weighing 63.75kg, led to the arrest of its consignee, 44-year-old Bamidele Joseph.
In Delta State, NDLEA operatives supported by the military raided a massive 20-hectare cannabis farm in Innam-Abbi/Orogun community, Ndokwa West Local Government Area. Over 50,000kg of cannabis was destroyed, and five suspects—Augustine Subaru, Ukoba Malachukwu, Odalonu Emmanuel, Esuabom Macaulay, and Itoje Safe—were taken into custody.
Elsewhere in Delta, officers intercepted a Mercedes-Benz truck along the Abraka-Orogun road on Friday, February 28, and recovered 101 bags of skunk, totaling 1,111kg. Similarly, in Edo State, a raid in Okpuje community, Owan West LGA, led to the destruction of drug warehouses and the recovery of 1,409.5kg of skunk. Two suspects, Oikelomen Osere Monday and Glory Iroyo, were arrested.
