Drug smuggling went wrong as the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency successfully removed 57 out of 81 cocaine pellets from the stomach of 59-year-old businessman Chijioke Igbokwe through emergency surgery, saving his life.
After Igbokwe tried unsuccessfully for a week to expel the illegal substance he ingested in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, he underwent surgery known as an exploratory laparotomy.
On Sunday, the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, announced in a statement that Igbokwe was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on January 26, 2025, while Ethiopian Airlines passengers were being processed upon arrival.
He added that a body scan conducted by NDLEA officers confirmed he had ingested illicit drugs, after which he was immediately placed under excretion observation at the agency’s medical facility.
Babafemi said, “Investigations revealed that Igbokwe, who claims to be a clothing trader at Arena, Oshodi, Lagos, departed Lagos on January 22 for Addis Ababa, where he ingested the 81 wraps of cocaine on 23 January before boarding a flight to Beirut, Lebanon, to deliver the illicit consignment for a fee of $3,000.
“Upon his arrival in Beirut, he was denied entry because he had less than $2,000, the minimum amount required for admission. He was subsequently deported to Addis Ababa, where he attempted to excrete the illicit drugs but failed.
“He then travelled to Lagos on January 25 with the consignment still in his system but was arrested upon arrival at the Lagos airport by NDLEA officers on January 26.
“After five days under excretion observation, he was only able to expel 24 pellets following initial medical intervention at the agency’s medical facility and Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.
“With time running out and complications arising from underlying medical conditions, he was eventually admitted to a tertiary hospital, where he underwent an exploratory laparotomy to extract the remaining 57 wraps of cocaine.
“The procedure was carried out after his wife and brother signed the necessary consent forms on 30 January.”
Babafemi stated that in total, the NDLEA recovered 81 cocaine pellets, weighing 1.943 kilograms, from Igbokwe’s body.
In another operation, Babafemi said NDLEA operatives intercepted a 2,000-kilogram shipment of Ghanaian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, at Lekki Beach 29 January 29.
He added that two suspects, Sunday Awoyede and Christopher Cletus, were arrested while attempting to load the drugs onto a truck.
Babafemi further disclosed that “another suspect, Lawal Idris Olasunkanmi, was also arrested the same day with 55kg of skunk during a raid at his base in the Mushin area of Lagos.”
