NDLEA Nabs Brazil Returnee with Cocaine Hidden in Private Parts, Shoe Soles

A Nigeria-born businessman based in Brazil, Uche Franklin Onyekwere, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, after he was found to have concealed parcels of cocaine in his private part and the soles of his footwear.

The arrest followed actionable intelligence and took place on Thursday, January 29, 2026, during the inward clearance of passengers arriving aboard a South African Airways flight from Brazil via Johannesburg, according to the Agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
Babafemi disclosed that the 47-year-old suspect was taken for a full body scan, which confirmed the presence of illicit drug concealment. He was subsequently subjected to a strip search, during which a large wrap of a white powdery substance, later confirmed to be cocaine, was discovered strapped to his right thigh. Further search revealed two additional wraps of the same substance hidden inside the soles of a pair of flat shoes worn by the suspect.
“In all, three large wraps of cocaine, weighing a total of 1.60 kilograms, were recovered from his body and footwear,” Babafemi stated.
During preliminary interrogation, Onyekwere reportedly confessed that he bought the cocaine in Brazil with the intention of reselling it in Nigeria to raise capital for his business and to fund the naming ceremony of his newborn child. He told NDLEA officers that he resides at Rua Ever, Mulariuha, São Paulo, and has lived in Brazil since 2008, where he has been running a toy business for about nine years.
Meanwhile, at the Tincan Seaport, Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday, January 28, intercepted a container imported from Montreal, Canada, during a joint examination with Customs and other security agencies. The operation led to the discovery of 55 jumbo bags of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 1,183 kilograms, concealed inside a Hyundai SUV and a Toyota Matrix.
In Niger State, NDLEA officers acting on credible intelligence intercepted a long truck marked T 31589 LA along the Dei-Dei–Abuja Expressway in the early hours of Tuesday, January 26. Three suspects—Andy Chidogu (49), Kenneth Ogene (45), and Sadiq Olanrewaju (27)—were arrested for transporting 176 bags of skunk weighing 2,735 kilograms, alongside 1 kilogram of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis, concealed in the truck.
Investigations revealed that the truck driver, Kenneth Ogene, left Lagos on January 23 with 800 bags of flour destined for Ekpoma, Edo State, arriving the next day. In Ekpoma, he allegedly agreed to convey the illicit drugs to Niger State for a fee of ₦1.7 million.
In another operation in Edo State, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, January 27, arrested Shaibu Yusuf along the Auchi–Abuja Expressway while attempting to transport 66 bags of skunk, weighing 792 kilograms, concealed in charcoal bags and bound for Katsina State.
Also in Edo, NDLEA officers, supported by personnel of the Nigerian Army, on Wednesday, January 28, raided a cannabis farm at Ebora Camp, Ilushi, in Esan South-East Local Government Area, where 4,063.675 kilograms of skunk cultivated on over 1.6 hectares of farmland were destroyed. Additionally, 328 kilograms of processed cannabis and seeds were recovered. Suspects arrested include Jeremiah Nwodeh (46), Chukwudi Pius (33), Pius Ogaba (46), and Onora Kwene (35).
In Anambra State, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday, January 28, intercepted a cement truck at Upper Iweka, Onitsha, en route to Nkpor. A search revealed 345.2 kilograms of skunk concealed beneath cement bags. One of the occupants, Abum Okeke (42), was identified as the owner of the illicit drugs.
Similarly, in Ondo State, NDLEA officers on Monday, January 26, arrested Tunde Ogundele (39) and Soji Elegbeleye (46) at Eleyewo community, Akure North, in connection with the seizure of 473 kilograms of skunk.
In Kano State, operatives arrested Abdullahi Usman (45) on Murtala Mohammed Way on the same day, recovering 12,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection. Another suspect, Musa Shuaibu (42), was apprehended in Gaya area on Tuesday, January 27, with 4,390 tramadol pills.
Elsewhere, Oragwan Ekene was arrested on Friday, January 30, at Okeyson Park, Alaba, Lagos, with 15.5 kilograms of skunk en route to Onitsha, Anambra State. Also, 3.5 kilograms of skunk concealed inside a sound system and cereal packs were recovered from Omang Peter Edward at the arrival tarmac of the Seme Border, Badagry, on Tuesday, January 27, as he arrived from Cotonou, Benin Republic.
Babafemi added that NDLEA commands nationwide continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns during the week, reaching schools, religious centres, workplaces, and communities. Beneficiaries included Government Day Junior Secondary School, Jaji Maji (Yobe); Boys Technical College, Aba (Abia); Government Technical and Vocational College, Obollo Orie (Enugu); St. John’s R.C.M Primary School, Odomola Eredo, Epe (Lagos); Yandaki Primary School, Kaita (Katsina); and Seed of Life College, Ibadan (Oyo State), among others.
Commending officers of the MMIA, Tincan, Niger, Lagos, Edo, Anambra, Ondo, and Kano Commands for their professionalism and successes, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), urged them to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts nationwide.