Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a previously convicted drug trafficker, Nwobodo Chidiebere Basil, and three others over an attempt to export cocaine to the United Kingdom through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. The 75 parcels of cocaine, weighing 1.50kg, were concealed in factory-sealed sachets of cold-water starch at the airport’s export shed.
NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said three cargo agents—Jubrin Firdausi Hassana, Kuku Daniel Oluwasegun, and Igwe Chioma Jane—were arrested on December 20, 2025, while investigations later identified Nwobodo as the mastermind. He was arrested the following day at a relaxation centre in Ikeja. Babafemi noted that the suspect had previously been convicted for drug trafficking in 2023.
“The agency’s criminal database revealed that Nwobodo had been arrested in May 2023… convicted and sentenced to five years imprisonment with an option of a fine of Seven Million Naira (₦7,000,000.00)… He paid the fine and soon after returned to the same crime,” Babafemi said. He added that NDLEA also seized large quantities of cannabis and opioids in coordinated raids across several states.