A former convicted drug trafficker, Lawrence Kayode widely known by the nickname “Papa” has stirred fresh controversy in Nigeria after making explosive claims linking former military president, Ibrahim Babangida and other Nigerian politicians to the drug trade.

Speaking in an interview on the *Outside The Box* podcast, Kayode alleged that many of the country’s politicians built their fortunes on proceeds from narcotics.

He went further to single out Babangida directly, describing him as “a real drug baron” and suggesting that using drug money to destabilize or topple the Nigerian government was no simple undertaking, implying such funds carried significant political weight and reach.

The claims were shared by The Yoruba Times, where the clip quickly drew attention, racking up over 9,000 views within hours of being posted.

This isn’t the first time such allegations have surfaced around Babangida. Suspicions linking the former military ruler to drug trafficking networks date back to the 1980s and 1990s, fueled over the years by rumours tied to events like the disappearance of alleged drug courier Gloria Okon and the killing of journalist Dele Giwa.

Even Major Gideon Orkar, who led a failed 1990 coup attempt against Babangida’s government, publicly accused the regime of being tied to the drug trade at the time. Despite decades of speculation, no formal charges against Babangida on these grounds have ever been substantiated.

Kayode himself has a documented history in the drug trade. Nigerian and U.S. records show a Lagos-based trafficker of the same name and alias was convicted in the United States for running a large-scale heroin smuggling operation using couriers who swallowed drug-filled pellets, ultimately sentenced to 25 years in a U.S. federal prison after a lengthy extradition battle.

It’s worth stressing that these latest remarks remain unverified allegations from a single source with a criminal background of his own, rather than proven fact.

Babangida has not been charged in relation to these specific claims, and there’s been no official response from him or his representatives as of this writing.

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