Ndlea nabs businessman with 81 cocaine pellets, rescues him after life-saving surgery

DDM News

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended a 59-year-old businessman, Chijioke Nnanna Igbokwe, who nearly lost his life after swallowing 81 pellets of cocaine in an attempt to smuggle the illicit substance.

The agency’s swift medical intervention saved him after doctors performed emergency surgery to remove the remaining 57 pellets lodged in his stomach.

NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed in a statement over the weekend that operatives arrested Igbokwe on January 26, 2025, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.

Diaspora digital media (DDM) gathered that the suspect had arrived on an Ethiopian Airlines flight, and during routine inward clearance, a body scan confirmed he had ingested illicit drugs.

NDLEA officers immediately placed him under medical observation at their facility in Lagos.

Investigations revealed that Igbokwe, who runs a clothing business in Oshodi, Lagos, had traveled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on January 22, where he ingested the cocaine pellets the next day.

He had planned to deliver them to Beirut, Lebanon, in exchange for $3,000.

However, Lebanese authorities denied him entry due to insufficient funds.

With less than $2,000 in his possession, he failed to meet the country’s financial threshold and was deported back to Addis Ababa.

Struggling to expel the drugs, he remained in Ethiopia for a brief period before making the risky decision to return to Nigeria on January 25 while still carrying the cocaine in his stomach.

For five days, NDLEA monitored his condition as he attempted to excrete the drugs.

Medical personnel at the agency’s facility and Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) assisted him, but he managed to expel only 24 of the 81 pellets.

His health worsened due to complications from underlying conditions, prompting NDLEA to rush him to LASUTH for emergency surgery on January 30.

Doctors performed an exploratory laparotomy, successfully extracting the remaining 57 pellets of cocaine from his stomach.

In total, NDLEA operatives recovered 1.943 kilograms of cocaine from the suspect.

Babafemi emphasized that quick medical intervention and NDLEA’s rigorous anti-trafficking operations saved his life.

While NDLEA continues to intensify its crackdown on drug trafficking, operatives executed another major seizure on January 29, intercepting a 2,000-kilogram consignment of Ghanaian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, at Lekki Beach in Lagos.

Officers caught two suspects, Sunday Awoyede and Christopher Cletus, loading the illegal shipment into a truck and immediately placed them under arrest.

NDLEA’s operations reflect the agency’s commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks and preventing the circulation of illicit substances across Nigeria.

The agency remains steadfast in its mission to combat drug-related crimes and ensure public safety.

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