Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have successfully saved the life of a 59-year-old businessman, Chijioke Igbokwe, who underwent emergency surgery to remove 57 out of 81 cocaine pellets lodged in his stomach.
The surgery, an exploratory laparotomy, was necessitated after Igbokwe spent seven days unable to expel the illicit substances he had ingested while in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He was arrested on January 26, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos during passenger clearance from an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
According to NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, a body scan revealed the presence of illicit drugs, prompting immediate medical observation. Igbokwe, who claims to be involved in the cloth business in Lagos, had ingested the cocaine on January 23 in preparation for a delivery to Beirut, Lebanon, for a fee of $3,000. However, upon arrival in Beirut, he was denied entry due to insufficient funds and was deported back to Addis Ababa.
Struggling to excrete the drugs, Igbokwe returned to Lagos on January 25 with the cocaine still inside him. After several days of observation, he managed to expel only 24 pellets, necessitating surgical intervention due to the potential for serious medical complications.
On January 30, following consent from his family, Igbokwe underwent surgery, resulting in the recovery of a total of 81 cocaine pellets weighing 1.943 kilograms from his body.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives intercepted a large shipment of 2,000 kilograms of Ghanaian Loud cannabis at Lekki beach on January 29, leading to the arrest of two suspects attempting to load the drugs into a truck. Additionally, another suspect was detained with 55 kilograms of skunk during a raid in the Mushin area of Lagos.
The NDLEA continues to combat drug trafficking and ensure public safety amid these ongoing efforts.
