A 59-year-old Business man Chijoke Nnanna Igbokwe escaped death narrowly as he had to undergo surgery, exploratory laparotomy, to expel 57 out of 81 pallets of cocaine stuck in his stomach.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos command had arrested Igbokwe at the arrival hall of the Airport during inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight on Sunday 26th January 2025.
Director media and Advocacy of the NDLEA Femi Babafemi said Igbokwe’s ordeal began when he could not expel the drugs stuck in his stomach after seven days of ingesting the illicit substances in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Igbokwe was said to have travelled to Addis Ababa where he ingested 81 wraps of cocaine and travelled to Beirut, Lebanon to deliver the illicit drug but upon arrival in Beirut, he was refused entry because he had less than $2,000, the amount required to grant him entry.
He was however deported to Addis Ababa where he attempted excreting the illicit drugs but could not and had to travel back to lagos on Saturday 25th January with the consignment in his bowel and was arrested upon arrival at the lagos Airport on 26th January 2025.
Igbokwe, after five days under observation could only excret 24 pallets following initial medical intervention at the Agency’s medical facility and the Lagos State , University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) Ikeja.
The suspect was admitted to avoid further complications and had to undergo surgery to extract the remaining 57 wraps of cocaine stuck in his stomach.
A total of 81 pallets of class A drug with a gross weight of 1.943 kilograms were recovered from his stomach
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Lagos on Wednesday 29th January intercepted a consignment of 2,000 kilograms of Ghanaian Loud, a strain of cannabis produced in Ghana, at Lekki beach, two suspects: Sunday Awoyede and Christopher Cletus were arrested for attempted loading of the drugs into a truck.
The suspects, the skunk shipment and the van were immediately taken into custody. Another suspect Lawal Idris Olasunkanmi was also arrested same day with 55kg skunk during a raid at his base in Mushin area of Lagos.
NDLEA Commands and formations across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization lectures and advocacy visits to worship centres, schools, workplaces, palaces of traditional rulers and communities all through the past week. Instances include: WADA sensitization lecture to students and staff of Grand Light Model School, Ata Udosung, Akwa Ibom; Community Grammar School, Iganna, Iwajowa LGA, Oyo state; Ebute Afuye Primary School, Epe, Lagos state; Akwakuma Girls Secondary School, Owerri, Imo state; and Federal Government College, Kebbe, Sokoto state, while the Kogi state command of the Agency paid a WADA advocacy visit to Attah of Igala, HRH Mathew Opaluwa Oguche at his palace in Idah, among others.
While commending the officers and men of MMIA Strategic Command for their vigilance and professionalism in handling Chijioke Igbokwe’s case, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) warned those involved in the illicit drug trade that they’re not only destroying the lives of others, but equally putting their own lives at great risk.
He equally applauded the Lagos State Strategic Command for blocking the huge consignment of skunk from coming into the country, and recognized the concerted efforts of their compatriots in all the commands across the country for intensifying the WADA social advocacy lectures and sensitization activities to create a balance in drug supply and demand reduction efforts of the Agency .
About The Author
