The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested an automobile spare parts dealer, Levi Ubodoeze, for attempting to export two kilograms of cocaine concealed in vehicle propellers to Angola.
In a statement on Sunday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said operatives launched a three-week manhunt for Mr Ubodoeze before his arrest.
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“Following the seizure of the cocaine consignment at a logistics company in Aspanda, Trade Fair Complex, Ojo, Lagos, on 21st February 2025, swift contacts were made with Angolan authorities, leading to the arrest of the intended recipient. This, in turn, helped identify the sender,” Mr Babafemi stated.
NDLEA operatives tracked Mr Ubodoeze to his residence on Ago Palace Way, Isolo, Lagos, on 6th March, where he was intercepted in a KIA Sport Utility Vehicle while attempting to flee.
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A search of the vehicle uncovered 75.5 kilograms of phenacetin—commonly used as a cutting agent for cocaine—packaged and branded as semolina. A digital scale for weighing illicit drugs was also recovered from his house.
Mr Ubodoeze reportedly admitted to dealing in cocaine while operating as a spare parts dealer at Ladipo Market, Mushin, Lagos. He told NDLEA officials that his Angolan contact alerted him upon being arrested, prompting his attempted escape.
NDLEA seizes cannabis candies, arrests suspects
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, intercepted a shipment of cannabis-laced candies imported from the United Kingdom and destined for sale at a Kiddie’s Mart in Surulere, Lagos.
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After forensic analysis confirmed the presence of a potent cannabis strain, a consolidated cargo shipment that arrived via Allied Airways on 27 February was seized. Adedamola Taylor, the intended recipient, was arrested on 4th March after the earlier arrest of a freight agent.
Mr Taylor claimed the consignment was sent by his UK-based brother, Babatunde Alabi, for delivery to Musurat Lawal, who runs the Surulere store. A follow-up operation at the shop led to Ms Lawal’s arrest.
More drug busts across Nigeria
In separate operations, NDLEA officers arrested two suspects, China Michael and Igbo Ekene, on 7th March at Shibiri, Ojo, Lagos. Their commercial truck was found carrying 248 compressed blocks of Ghanaian Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 128 kilograms and concealed in the vehicle’s undercarriage.
On the same day, three suspects, Osinachi Nwachukwu, Tochukwu Okafor Christian, and John Ugochukwu Mbakwe, were apprehended at Mosalasi Junction, Mushin, with 301,600 pills of tramadol and other opioids.
In Kano, 65-year-old Yahaya Haruna was arrested on 6th March with 19.2 kilograms of skunk along Gadar Tamburawa Road, while 60-year-old Musa Bello, also known as Jajere, was caught with 212 bottles of codeine-based syrup in Medile, Kumbotso Local Government Area.
A major raid in Aba, Abia State, on 4th March led to the seizure of 442,594 tramadol pills, other opioids, and 1,274 bottles of codeine syrup from the house and warehouse of 37-year-old suspect Blessing Okoronkwo.
In Benue, NDLEA operatives intercepted 50,000 pills of tramadol and Excel-5 from two suspects, Nwaeze Onyeabor, 47, and Tombo Thomas, 23, at Ugbema Junction, Katsina-Ala, on 5 March.
In Osun, a suspect, Asimiyu Muibi, 50, was arrested on 4 March with 162 kilograms of skunk in Modakeke, Ife East, while another 95 kilograms of the same substance were recovered from a Toyota Camry marked KSF 72 GW during a raid in Ede.
Cannabis farm destroyed in Edo
On 5 March, NDLEA operatives raided Amahor Community Forest in Igueben, Edo State, arresting 55-year-old Etim Esien Stephen. The officers destroyed 9,514.625 kilograms of skunk cultivated on 3.8 hectares of farmland.
Nationwide anti-drug campaigns
As part of its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, NDLEA continued sensitisation efforts in schools, religious centres, and workplaces nationwide. Recent engagements included lectures at Model High School, Amaechi, Enugu; Bengy Secondary School, Agege, Lagos; Sunshine Secondary School, Nku Udo Eno, Akwa Ibom; and Government Day Secondary School, Dong, Adamawa State.
NDLEA chairperson and chief executive officer Mohamed Marwa commended officers in Lagos, Kano, Abia, Benue, Osun, and Edo for their recent successes.
Mr Marwa, a retired brigadier general, emphasised the agency’s commitment to reducing drug supply and demand in Nigeria.
A continuing process
This is not the first time NDLEA has dismantled drug syndicates. This newspaper had reported that the agency arrested 59-year-old Chijioke Igbokwe for ingesting 81 pellets of cocaine at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja.
Mr Babafemi revealed that Mr Igbokwe underwent an exploratory laparotomy to remove 57 pellets of cocaine stuck in his stomach after seven days of ingestion in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The suspect, who ran a clothing business in Lagos, had travelled to Addis Ababa on 22 January, where he ingested the drugs before attempting to deliver them in Beirut, Lebanon, for $3,000. Lebanese authorities denied him entry because of insufficient funds, forcing him to return to Nigeria.
READ ALSO: NDLEA arrests 251 suspects for drug-related crimes in Benue
Upon arrival on 26 January, NDLEA officers arrested him during inward clearance and placed him under excretion observation.
He expelled only 24 pellets before undergoing surgery at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), where the remaining 57 wraps—totalling 1.943 kilograms—were extracted.
NDLEA chairperson Buba Marwa lauded the MMIA command for their vigilance, warning traffickers that they risk not only imprisonment but also their lives.
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