 has intensified its crackdown on drug trafficking networks across the country.){kind=link}
NDLEA Nabs Ex-International Footballer, Foreign Nationals Over 22.6kg Drug Trafficking at Lagos, Enugu Airports
72-Year-Old Grandma, Beninese National Among Suspects Arrested in Delta, Kwara, Lagos Raids
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intensified its crackdown on drug trafficking networks across the country, arresting several suspects including a former international football player, foreign nationals, and a septuagenarian grandmother, with seizures totaling over 22.6kg of cocaine, methamphetamine, and other narcotics.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested Segun George Hunkarin, a former professional footballer, and his associate, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu, over an attempt to smuggle cocaine into the country.
Chinedu, a businessman and regular traveler between Nigeria and Turkey, was arrested on arrival at the Lagos airport on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. During a search of his hand luggage, officers discovered 37 wraps of cocaine weighing 800 grams, which he had concealed. Investigations revealed he had collected the consignment in Addis Ababa while in transit from Turkey on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
His alleged accomplice, Hunkarin, who was reportedly waiting at the airport car park to receive the drugs, was promptly tracked and arrested. The ex-footballer admitted in his statement that he had previously trafficked drugs from Brazil to Ethiopia twice during his time as a professional player in South America, but insisted this was his first attempt to traffic drugs into Nigeria.
In a separate incident at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives on Friday, June 27, arrested another Europe-based businessman, Amen Okoro Godstime, as he attempted to smuggle 5,000 pills of Tramadol 225mg disguised as anti-malarial medications—Lonart, Amatem, and Aluktem—to Spain via Royal Air Maroc.
Okoro, involved in freight and logistics between Europe and Nigeria, told officers that he intended to board a train to France upon arrival and forward the drugs to Italy for retail distribution.
Also on June 27, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA), Enugu, a Mozambican-based bar attendant, Ezenwaka Chibuzor Emmanuel, was intercepted by NDLEA officials. A search of his luggage revealed 17 parcels of methamphetamine (17.5kg) and three parcels of cocaine (3.05kg) hidden in bedsheets. The suspect had arrived from Johannesburg, South Africa via Addis Ababa.
Another passenger on the same flight, Azu Follygan Kpodar (54), was caught with 1.25kg of liquid cocaine concealed in a branded liquid soap container labeled “YPE”. The substance was confirmed as cocaine after laboratory analysis. Azu, who sells toys in São Paulo, Brazil, claimed the drug was part of his shopping for an upcoming wedding in Nigeria.
At the Seme border in Badagry, Lagos, a 26-year-old Beninese national, Vode Jean-Luck, was intercepted on June 24 while attempting to smuggle 69 balls of skunk (29.5kg) into Nigeria from the Benin Republic.
In Kwara State, notorious drug dealer Mary Bolanle Oladele, popularly known as Iya Nafi, was arrested during a raid in Omu-Aran, Irepodun LGA. NDLEA officers recovered quantities of skunk, tramadol, and flunitrazepam from her base.
Meanwhile, in Warri, Delta State, a 72-year-old woman, Mrs. Christy Ejaro, was also arrested with several sachets of retail-packaged skunk during a raid in the Niger CAT area.
In continuation of its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, NDLEA officers delivered sensitization lectures across the country last week. Participating schools included Yakubawa Model Primary School, Katsina; Police Secondary School, Igboora, Oyo; Divine Favour International School, Abia; Command Day Secondary School, Ibadan; Mater Dei College, Enugu; and Fiyinfolu High School, Ekiti, among others.
Commending the operatives for their professionalism and vigilance, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the various commands—MMIA, AIIA, Delta, Kwara, and Seme—for striking a strong balance between drug supply reduction and demand reduction strategies.
“Our collective effort is yielding results. These arrests and seizures show that the agency will continue to disrupt every channel used by traffickers,” Marwa stated.