By Kalu Idika
Three individuals, including a Canada-based nurse, were arrested at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos for attempting to smuggle illicit drugs into Nigeria. The suspects—Usman Grace Khadijat Olami, Ihejirika Okechukwu Emmanuel, and Iwuagwu Ikedi Victory—were apprehended by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for their involvement in separate drug trafficking operations.
On October 15, 2024, businessman Ihejirika Okechukwu Emmanuel was arrested while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Thailand. A body scan revealed that he had ingested cocaine. During observation, he excreted five large wraps of cocaine, totaling 400 grams. Emmanuel confessed that he was to be paid upon successful delivery of the drugs to Thailand to fund his fish importation business.
On October 17, 2024, another businessman, Iwuagwu Ikedi Victory, was caught after arriving from Brazil via Addis Ababa. A body scan showed he had ingested 30 wraps of cocaine. After passing 29 of the pellets in Addis Ababa, he admitted to transporting the drugs to Nigeria and expected to be paid N2.5 million for the smuggling operation.
In a separate incident on October 4, 2024, nurse Usman Grace Khadijat Olami, who had traveled from Toronto, Canada, was arrested after NDLEA officers found 70 parcels of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, in her luggage. Olami claimed that she was in Nigeria to visit her boyfriend, who had instructed her to bring the drugs.
The arrests highlight the ongoing efforts by Nigerian authorities to curb drug trafficking through major airports. NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi confirmed the agency’s commitment to cracking down on drug smuggling networks operating globally, with a focus on curbing illicit substances entering Nigeria from various international sources.