Nigerian Man Undergoes Surgery In NDLEA Custody After Swallowing 81 Cocaine Pellets
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested Chijioke Igbokwe for alleged drug trafficking after discovering 81 cocaine pellets in his stomach.
According to a statement by NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, Igbokwe was apprehended at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, on January 26, during passenger clearance from an Ethiopian Airlines flight. A body scan revealed illicit substances in his system.
He was immediately placed under excretion observation, but after five days, he could only expel 24 pellets despite medical intervention at NDLEA’s medical facility and Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja.
With time running out and complications arising from underlying health conditions, Igbokwe underwent exploratory laparotomy surgery to extract the remaining 57 wraps of cocaine still lodged in his stomach. The operation took place after his wife and brother signed the necessary consent forms on January 30.
NDLEA’s investigation revealed that Igbokwe, a cloth trader at Arena, Oshodi, Lagos, had traveled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on January 22. The next day, he ingested the 81 wraps of cocaine and boarded a flight to Beirut, Lebanon, where he was supposed to deliver the consignment for a $3,000 fee.
However, he was denied entry in Beirut for failing to meet the $2,000 minimum cash requirement and was subsequently deported back to Addis Ababa. Unable to expel the drugs, he then returned to Lagos on January 25 with the consignment still in his system.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives intercepted a 2,000-kilogram shipment of Ghanaian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, at Lekki Beach on January 29. Two suspects, Sunday Awoyede and Christopher Cletus, were arrested while attempting to load the drugs onto a truck.
Additionally, another suspect, Lawal Idris Olasunkanmi, was arrested during a raid in Mushin, Lagos, where officers seized 55kg of skunk from his base.
The NDLEA continues its nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking, urging the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities.
