NDLEA Nabs Ex-Convict, Three Cargo Agents Over Cocaine Hidden in Starch Sachets
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a previously convicted drug trafficker, Nwobodo Chidiebere Basil, alongside three cargo handlers, following the interception of a cocaine shipment bound for the United Kingdom.
The illicit drugs were uncovered at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, where operatives discovered 75 wraps of cocaine weighing about 1.50 kilogrammes concealed inside factory-sealed sachets of liquid cold-water starch.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed that three cargo agents — Jubrin Hassana, Kuku Oluwasegun and Igwe Jane — were apprehended on Saturday, December 20, 2025, after their alleged involvement in processing the consignment for export was detected. Babafemi explained that subsequent investigations led NDLEA officers to Nwobodo, identified as the coordinator of the operation. The 37-year-old suspect was arrested the following day at a leisure spot in Ikeja during a follow-up operation.
According to the agency, Nwobodo is not new to drug trafficking activities. Records showed that he was arrested in May 2023 after 30.10 kilogrammes of methamphetamine concealed in powdered custard containers were intercepted en route to London.
He was later charged before the Federal High Court in Lagos under suit number FHC/L/337C/2023, where he was convicted and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment with an option of a ₦7 million fine, as well as one month of community service, effective December 4, 2023.
He reportedly paid the fine and regained his freedom shortly after.
“The suspect, despite his previous conviction, returned to the same criminal enterprise,” Babafemi said, adding that investigations are ongoing to identify other members of the trafficking network.
The NDLEA reaffirmed its commitment to tightening surveillance at Nigeria’s ports of entry and exit to prevent the country from being used as a transit point for illicit drugs.
