The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA) has arrested a Brazil-based Nigerian businessman, Uche Franklin Onyekwere, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, for allegedly concealing cocaine on his body and inside his footwear.
The arrest was contained in a statement by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday.
He said Onyekwere, 47, was arrested on Thursday, January 29, 2026, at the arrival hall of the Lagos airport during the inward clearance of passengers on a South African Airways flight from Brazil via Johannesburg, following actionable intelligence.
He explained that a body scan conducted on the suspect confirmed the presence of illicit drugs, leading to a strip search.
“A Brazil based Nigerian businessman Uche Franklin Onyekwere has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja-Lagos for concealing parcels of cocaine in his private part and soles of his footwear.
“Onyekwere was arrested on Thursday 29th January 2026 during the inward clearance of South African Airways flight passengers arriving from Brazil via Johannesburg following processed intelligence. When the 47-year-old suspect was taken for full body scan, the result confirmed illicit drug concealment.
“As a result, he was subjected to a strip search, during which a big parcel of white powdery substance, which later tested positive for cocaine, was discovered wrapped around his right thigh,” he disclosed.
The NDLEA spokesman stated that three wraps of cocaine weighing a total of 1.60 kilograms were recovered from the suspect.
“A further search revealed two additional wraps of the same substance concealed in the sole of a pair of flat shoes worn by the suspect.
In all, three large wraps of cocaine, with a gross weight of 1.60 kilograms, were recovered from his body and footwear,” Babafemi stated.
Onyekwere reportedly admitted purchasing the drugs in Brazil to resell them in Nigeria in order to raise capital for his business and fund the naming ceremony of his newborn child.
“During a preliminary interview, the suspect revealed he purchased the illicit drug consignment in Brazil with the intention to resell the cocaine in Nigeria in order to raise capital to boost his business and also finance the naming ceremony of his newly born child.
“The suspect who lives in Rua Ever, Mulariuha, São Paulo, claimed that he has been living in Brazil since 2008 while he has been operating a toy business for about nine years,” he said.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives at the Tincan Seaport, Lagos, intercepted 55 jumbo bags of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 1,183 kilograms.
“At the Tincan seaport in Lagos, a total of 55 jumbo bags of Canadian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis with a gross weight of 1,183 kilograms imported from Montreal, Canada in a container was discovered on Wednesday 28th January during a joint examination of the shipment by NDLEA officers, Customs and other security agencies. The illicit consignments were hidden inside two vehicles: a Hyundai SUV and a Toyota Matrix car.
“In Niger State, officers intercepted a truck with 176 bags of skunk weighing 2,735kg and one kilogram of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis. arresting three suspects—Andy Chidogu, 49; Kenneth Ogene, 45; and Sadiq Olanrewaju, 27,” he added.
