ABUJA, Nigeria — A 74-year-old man has been arrested at Nigeria’s main international airport after allegedly attempting to smuggle 11 kilograms of cocaine into the United Kingdom.
Ikwuakalom Emeka was apprehended by operatives from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Saturday. Officials say the drugs were discovered hidden inside food items within his luggage as he prepared to board a British Airways flight to London Heathrow.
Cocaine in ‘Dry Pepper’
According to a statement released on Sunday by NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, the septuagenarian claimed he was travelling to the UK for a vacation.
However, a search of his bags revealed blocks of cocaine wrapped in foil and balloons, concealed inside containers of ground dry pepper and other foodstuffs. The total weight of the seizure was confirmed as 11kg.
Nationwide Crackdown
The arrest was part of a broader week of operations by the anti-narcotics agency, which saw several significant seizures across Nigeria:
- Lagos: A woman, Maryam Olalowo, was briefly detained at a hotel in Victoria Island after being found with cocaine and high-grade cannabis. She was released after her husband, Ibrahim Olalowo Olatunji—a previously convicted drug offender—confessed that the substances belonged to him.
- Lagos Island: Officials intercepted 68,000 tramadol pills hidden in a truck bound for the Republic of Benin. Subsequent raids in the Idumota market led to further arrests and the recovery of thousands of ampoules of pentazocine injection.
- Apapa Port: Working with customs officials, the NDLEA intercepted nearly 340,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup hidden in two shipping containers.
- Edo State: Operatives raided a forest reserve in Orhionmwon, destroying over four tonnes of “skunk” (a potent strain of cannabis) across two separate farms.
Supply and Demand
The Chairman of the NDLEA, retired Brigadier General Buba Marwa, praised the various commands for their “vigilance” and the scale of the seizures.
West Africa has increasingly become a key transit point for South American cocaine destined for European markets. The NDLEA has recently intensified its “War Against Drug Abuse” (WADA) campaign, focusing on disrupting the logistics chains used by international cartels within Nigeria’s borders.
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