Ex-convict, 3 Others Nabbed Over UK-bound Cocaine Consignment

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a drug trafficker, Nwobodo Chidiebere Basil, who was previously convicted for dealing in 30.10kg of methamphetamine in 2023.

The arrest followed the seizure of 75 parcels of cocaine weighing 1.50 kilogrammes concealed in factory-sealed sachets of cold-water starch heading to the United Kingdom (UK) at the export shed of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

Three cargo agents: Jubrin Firdausi Hassana, Kuku Daniel Oluwasegun and Igwe Chioma Jane, involved in the attempt to export the consignment to the UK, were swiftly arrested on Saturday, December 20, 2025. Further investigations unravelled 37-year-old Basil as the mastermind.

He was arrested in a follow-up operation on Sunday, December 21, at a popular relaxation centre in Ikeja, where he went on a date with a female friend.

NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said the agency’s criminal database revealed that Basil had been arrested in May 2023 in connection with the seizure of 30.10kg of methamphetamine concealed in powdered custard containers as part of a consolidated cargo going to London, United Kingdom, at the export shed of the Lagos airport.

He was subsequently arraigned at a Federal High Court in charge number FHC/L/337C/2023, convicted, and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment with an option of a fine of ₦7 million, along with one month of community service, effective from December 4, 2023.

He paid the fine and soon after returned to the same crime.

In another operation, NDLEA operatives on Monday, December 22, set ablaze tonnes of skunk, a strain of cannabis and wooden warehouses in Ara Forest, Ara-Ekiti where 638 kilogrammes of same psychoactive substance were also recovered.

No fewer than 1,205 blocks of compressed cannabis sativa, weighing 883.1kg were recovered from three Toyota Camry vehicles intercepted by NDLEA operatives on patrol on Igara-Auchi Road, Edo State, on Monday, December 22, 2025.