NDLEA Apprehends Businessman Lovely Chukwulobelu After Expelling 72 Cocaine Wraps at Nigerian Airport

Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended a 25-year-old businessman, Lovely Chukwulobelu, following a failed attempt to smuggle a significant quantity of narcotics out of the country. The suspect was intercepted at a Nigerian airport while preparing to board a flight destined for Portugal. The arrest marks another high-profile interception by the agency as it continues to intensify its surveillance and interdiction efforts against international drug trafficking syndicates operating within the West African sub-region.

According to an official statement released on September 27, 2026, by Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, the illicit substances were discovered after the suspect was placed under clinical observation. During his time in custody, Chukwulobelu, who was identified as a newlywed, reportedly expelled 72 individual wraps of cocaine that he had previously ingested. This method, commonly known as "body packing," remains a perilous and frequent tactic employed by traffickers attempting to bypass sophisticated airport security and scanning technology.

The apprehension of Mr. Chukwulobelu underscores the persistent challenges law enforcement agencies face in curbing the flow of hard drugs from Nigeria to European destinations like Portugal. While the NDLEA has celebrated this latest success as a victory for its tactical teams, the incident serves as a reminder of the extreme risks individuals take when recruited by narcotics networks. The agency has reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling these criminal enterprises and ensuring that international transit points remain hostile environments for couriers and their sponsors. Further investigations are expected to follow to identify any broader connections to organized crime groups.