NDLEA Foils Iran-Bound Cocaine Smuggling Attempt, Arrests British Ex-Convict with Drugs at Lagos Airport

NDLEA Foils Iran-Bound Cocaine Smuggling Attempt, Arrests British Ex-Convict with Drugs at Lagos Airport

Abuja – May 11, 2025 — Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have made a series of high-profile drug busts across Nigeria, including the interception of a woman attempting to smuggle cocaine to Iran through the Port Harcourt International Airport and the arrest of a 22-year-old British ex-convict at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

Hijab-Wearing Woman Caught with Cocaine Concealed in Private Part, Stomach, and Handbag

In a dramatic operation on Sunday, May 3, NDLEA officers at the Port Harcourt International Airport apprehended Ihensekhien Miracle Obehi, who attempted to board a Qatar Airways flight to Iran disguised in a hijab. Acting on intelligence, officials discovered three wraps of cocaine concealed in her private part, two parcels hidden in the false bottom of her handbag, and 67 pellets she had ingested.

Following her arrest, Obehi was placed under observation, eventually excreting the swallowed pellets over a four-day period. She later confessed to being unable to ingest the final three wraps and decided to insert them instead. In total, 2.523 kilograms of cocaine were recovered from her.

British Ex-Convict Nabbed with 37.6kg Cannabis Shipment

On Friday, May 9, NDLEA operatives at the Lagos airport arrested Campell Kaizra Kofi Johannes Slifer, a 22-year-old British national arriving from Thailand via Doha. He was caught with two suitcases filled with 35 parcels of Loud, a potent cannabis strain, weighing 37.6kg.

Slifer, who admitted to two previous convictions in the United Kingdom for drug trafficking and robbery, revealed he was recruited in London to collect the drugs in Thailand and deliver them to Nigeria.

Major Drug Seizures Across the Country

In Niger State, NDLEA officers intercepted a fuel tanker and three other vehicles loaded with 246 bags of cannabis (skunk) totaling 3,047kg along the Suleja-Kaduna highway. Arrested were Christopher Onyema (47), Benedict Etineruba Young (54), Chukwudi Ujue Jerry (30), and Mohammed Abdullahi Danasabe.

In Lagos’ Ijora area, Eze Chekube Emmanuel and Ike Samuel Chinyerem were arrested on May 8 with over 109,000 pills of tramadol, swinol, and nitrazepam.

In Kaduna, two suspects were caught with 52.5kg of cannabis in a bus in Gwantu, Sanga LGA. In Kwara State, Rufai Nasiru was arrested with 45,400 tramadol pills along the Bode Saadu-Jebba expressway.

In Bauchi, officers seized 505kg of cannabis from a Toyota Tundra vehicle on the Bauchi-Gombe road and arrested Isaac Onogure (37) and Ikechukwu Peter (44).

A separate operation in Kano on May 10 led to the seizure of 775 litres of codeine syrup and the arrest of Hafizu Isa Uman (34) and Ismail Shehu (48). In Lagos, 1.1kg of Loud concealed in a pillow from Thailand was intercepted at a courier service.

WADA Sensitisation Campaigns Continue Nationwide

NDLEA also continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaigns across educational and religious institutions, including lectures at Federal Government College, Sokoto; Deeper Life International College, Anambra; Martins Sanda Girls Science College, Niger; Restoration Power International School, Akwa Ibom; and the League of Imams and Alfas in Oyo State.

Commendation from NDLEA Chairman

NDLEA Chairman/CEO, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers across commands—particularly those in PHIA, MMIA, Lagos, Kano, Niger, Bauchi, Kwara, and Kaduna—for their vigilance and balanced focus on drug supply and demand reduction.

“These arrests reflect our commitment to stopping drug trafficking at all levels,” Marwa said. “We will not relent in protecting our communities from the dangers of illicit drugs.”

Femi Babafemi
Director of Media & Advocacy, NDLEA
Abuja