The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Nigerian businessman, Chijioke Nnanna Igbokwe who ingested 81 pellets of cocaine in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
He was arrested on arrival to Nigeria at Murtala Muhammad International Airport on Sunday January 26, 2025 during compulsory clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight.
A release made by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, revealed that Igbokwe, departed Lagos on 22 January to Addis Ababa, where he ingested the 81 wraps of cocaine the following day, 23 January. After which he boarded a flight to Beirut, Lebanon, to deliver the consignment for a fee of $3,000. Upon arrival in Beirut, he was refused entry because he had less than $2,000, the minimum amount required for entry.
He was subsequently deported to Addis Ababa, where he attempted to excrete the illicit drugs but was unsuccessful. He then proceeded to Lagos on Saturday, 25 January, still carrying the consignment in his bowel. He was arrested upon arrival at Lagos Airport by NDLEA officers on 26 January.
Igbokwe was promptly subjected to a body scan, which revealed illicit drugs in his system, and was thereafter taken into NDLEA custody for excretion observation.
After five days under excretion observation, he managed to expel only 24 pellets following initial medical intervention at the agency’s medical facility and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja.
Due to complications from underlying medical conditions and the urgency of his situation, the suspect was admitted to a tertiary facility, where he underwent exploratory laparotomy to extract the remaining 57 wraps of cocaine. The surgery was conducted after his wife and brother signed the necessary consent forms on Thursday, 30 January.
In total, 81 pellets of the Class A drug, with a gross weight of 1.943 kilograms, were recovered from his stomach.
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