NDLEA Suspect Undergoes Surgery After Failing To Excrete Cocaine Pellets

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has announced the arrest of a 59-year-old businessman, Chijioke Nnanna Igbokwe, who had 81 wraps of cocaine inside his body. He later underwent surgery to remove the drugs after failing to excrete most of them.

According to NDLEA, Igbokwe was apprehended at the arrival hall of Murtala Muhammed International Airport during passenger clearance on January 26, 2025. A body scan confirmed that he had ingested illegal substances, leading to his immediate detention for further observation.

An investigation revealed that Igbokwe, who claimed to be a clothing trader in Lagos, had travelled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on January 22. The next day, he ingested 81 wraps of cocaine before boarding a flight to Beirut, Lebanon, where he was supposed to deliver the drugs for $3,000. However, upon arrival in Beirut, he was denied entry because he had less than the required $2,000 in cash. He was then deported back to Addis Ababa, where he tried but failed to expel the drugs.

On January 25, he flew to Lagos while still carrying the drugs in his system. NDLEA officers arrested him upon arrival the following day. Despite being placed under observation for five days, he managed to excrete only 24 pellets. Medical personnel at NDLEA’s facility and Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) intervened, but the remaining 57 wraps remained lodged in his stomach.

“With the clock ticking for him and the complication of other underlying medical conditions, the suspect was eventually admitted at the tertiary facility where he had to undergo exploratory laparotomy to extract the remaining 57 wraps of cocaine stuck in his stomach after his wife and brother endorsed the necessary consent forms on Thursday 30th January,” an NDLEA spokesperson explained.

In total, 81 cocaine pellets, weighing 1.943 kilograms, were recovered from Igbokwe’s body.

In a separate operation, NDLEA officers intercepted 2,000 kilograms of Ghanaian Loud, a strain of cannabis from Ghana, at Lekki Beach. Two suspects, Sunday Awoyede and Christopher Cletus, were caught attempting to load the drugs onto a truck.

Additionally, another suspect, Lawal Idris Olasunkanmi, was arrested the same day with 55kg of cannabis during a raid in Mushin, Lagos. NDLEA confirmed that all suspects, along with the seized drugs and vehicle, were taken into custody for further investigation.
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