The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested several individuals, including a former international footballer, for attempting to smuggle hard drugs into the country through various Nigerian airports and border points.
Among those apprehended was Segun George Hunkarin, a former football player, and his associate Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu.
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Chinedu was arrested on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, upon arrival at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, agents discovered 37 wraps of cocaine weighing 800 grams in Chinedu’s carry-on bag.
Investigations revealed that he picked up the drugs during a transit stop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, en route from Turkey. Hunkarin, the ex-footballer who awaited Chinedu in the airport parking area, was promptly apprehended.
He reportedly admitted that during his football career in Brazil, he had transported drugs twice to Ethiopia but never into Nigeria.
In another incident, Amen Okoro Godstime, a businessman operating between Europe and Nigeria, was arrested on June 27 at MMIA while attempting to traffic 5,000 tramadol pills disguised as common malaria medications such as Lonart, Amatem, and Aluktem.
The agency revealed that Godstime plan was to travel to Spain, then take a train to France—his residence—before dispatching the drugs to Italy.
The NDLEA also made a major bust at Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA), Enugu.
On June 27, operatives intercepted Ezenwaka Chibuzor Emmanuel, a bartender from Mozambique, arriving from Johannesburg via Addis Ababa. His luggage contained 17.5 kilograms of methamphetamine and 3.05 kilograms of cocaine concealed in bedsheets.
Another passenger from the same flight, Azu Follygan Kpodar, was caught with 1.25 kilograms of liquid cocaine hidden in a detergent container.
Kpodar, a toy vendor in São Paulo, Brazil, claimed he had purchased the substance while shopping for his upcoming wedding in Nigeria.
At the Seme border near Badagry, Lagos, NDLEA officers arrested Vode Jean-Luck, a 26-year-old Beninese national, attempting to smuggle 69 balls of skunk cannabis weighing 29.5 kilograms into Nigeria.
In Kwara State, officers raided the home of Mary Bolanle Oladele, popularly known as “Iya Nafi,” a suspected drug dealer in Omu-Aran. Various quantities of cannabis, tramadol, and flunitrazepam were seized.In Delta State, NDLEA operatives apprehended 72-year-old Christy Ejaro in Warri, recovering several sachets of skunk from her possession.
Meanwhile, the agency’s drug prevention and education campaign, the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), continued nationwide.
The agency noted that sensitization programs were held in schools across Katsina, Oyo, Abia, Enugu, Bayelsa, and Ekiti States.
Commending the efforts of NDLEA personnel, the agency’s Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), praised officers at MMIA, AIIA, Delta, Kwara, and Seme for their vigilance and successful operations.
He also recognized nationwide teams for balancing enforcement with advocacy.
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