NDLEA Arrests Two Businessmen for Alleged Drug Trafficking at Lagos Airport

Written on 20/10/2024
Punch NGR


The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended two businessmen, Ihejirika Emmanuel and Iwuagwu Victory, over allegations of drug trafficking. Ihejirika, known for his frequent trips to Thailand, claiming to import fish into Nigeria, was arrested on October 15, 2024, at Lagos Airport.

He was attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Thailand via Addis Ababa when the arrest took place.

The incident highlights ongoing efforts by the NDLEA to curb drug trafficking through Nigeria's major travel hubs.




A statement by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday stated that when Ihejirika was taken for a body scan, the results showed he had ingested illicit drugs, which were later confirmed to be cocaine.

Babafemi added, “As a result, he was placed under excretion observation, during which he expelled five large, egg-sized wraps of cocaine weighing 400 grams. In his statement, the 51-year-old suspect confessed that he was to be paid upon the successful delivery of the drug consignment in Thailand. He said he needed the money to boost his fish importation business.”

Babafemi noted that Victory was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, after arriving from Brazil via Addis Ababa during the inward clearance of passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.