Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested an Ivorian national and a Nigerian medical doctor for their alleged involvement in an international cocaine trafficking operation.
The agency disclosed that the Ivorian suspect, Gohouri Michael, 41, was apprehended at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport while undergoing outward clearance for an Ethiopian Airlines flight bound for Milan, Italy, via Addis Ababa.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, the suspect had ingested 82 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.49 kilograms.
Babafemi explained that Gohouri had earlier arrived in Lagos from Milan on January 17, 2026, and spent several weeks moving between Lagos and Enugu before proceeding to Kano, where he ingested the illicit substance in preparation for export. He was expected to earn €5,000 upon successful delivery.
Further intelligence uncovered the involvement of a suspected coordinator, identified as 69-year-old medical doctor, Chudi Ofomata.
NDLEA operatives tracked and arrested the doctor at his residence in Magboro, Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State on March 27, 2026, before flying him to Kano on April 7 for further investigation.
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Recovered from him were 63 grams of promazepam and seven ampoules of promethazine injection.
In Lagos, operatives intercepted a luxury bus belonging to Chisco Transport along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, recovering 15 kilograms of skunk concealed within the vehicle. Two suspects, Kingsley Nsofor and Opara Ifeanyi, were arrested.
In Abia State, a 90-year-old man, Pa Friday Ahukanna Chigbu, was arrested with 7.7 kilograms of skunk at his residence in Osisioma LGA. In Ogun State, three suspects were arrested with 34 kilograms, while in Imo State, a 26-year-old woman was caught with 56.2 kilograms.
In Niger State, a couple, Abdullahi Umar and Adama Umar, were arrested after 118 kilograms of skunk were recovered from their home in Lapai LGA.
Similarly, in Borno State, operatives intercepted a trailer conveying large quantities of Rohypnol tablets, codeine syrup, and pentazocine injections, leading to the arrest of the consignment owner.
In a separate operation in Mushin, Lagos, NDLEA officials seized 26,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup and arrested two suspects.
The agency said the operations are part of ongoing efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks across the country
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