Izueke was apprehended on Saturday, January 31, 2026, during outbound passenger screening for an Ethiopian Airlines flight (ET940) via Addis Ababa. NDLEA sources said a body scan indicated ingestion of illicit substances, and he was placed under medical observation.

While under monitoring, Izueke, who claimed to run a clothing and auto spare parts business in Lagos, expelled 95 cocaine pellets weighing 1.589 kilograms across seven excretions. In his statement, he said he resorted to drug trafficking to raise funds to complete a house he was building in his hometown, Iwollo, Enugu State.

In other operations, NDLEA recovered 627.7 kilograms of skunk from a makeshift warehouse at Fums Plaza, Kubwa, FCT. Four suspects—Ebube Okeke, Evans Ugwu, Mohammed Eze Arinze, and Friday Michael—were arrested for attempting to smuggle methamphetamine hidden in MP3 speakers from Enugu to Abuja and Kaduna. The agency intercepted the consignments in Abuja on Friday, February 6, arresting Okeke in Zuba with 173 grams of methamphetamine, while the remaining three were apprehended in Kaduna collecting 28 grams of the drug.

At the Dan-Anacha patrol point in Gassol, Taraba State, 32-year-old Yusuf Abubakar was caught transporting packs of yoghurt from Lagos to Mubi, Adamawa State, which were found to contain 1.8 kilograms of methamphetamine.

In Oyo State, a Beninese national, Shuaibu Abdulrahman, 29, was arrested at Ibudo-Igboho village, Sooro Kishi, with 149.6 kilograms of skunk concealed in rice chaff. Separately, in Ibadan, Adeniyi Adeola, alias Prince, was apprehended at Foko, Agbeni market, with 10,820 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 117,820 tramadol capsules in his truck.

NDLEA also busted a suspected drug manufacturing operation in Ibadan, arresting Jimoh Nurudeen, 40, and his accomplice Ogundipe Yusuf, 27. Officers recovered eight litres of precursor chemicals, 14 grams of skunk, and materials for producing Colorado (synthetic cannabis), along with ₦7,408,400, a Mercedes-Benz SUV, and a Toyota Highlander.

In Kwara State, a fuel tanker transporting petrol from Lagos to Maiduguri was intercepted, revealing 395,400 tramadol capsules hidden in parts of the vehicle. In Imo State, a couple, Izuchukwu Azubuike, 37, and Ifunaya Mmadueke, 32, were arrested in Umuaka, Njaba, with 203 kilograms of skunk. Ondo State operatives recovered 420 kilograms of skunk hidden in a bush at Ikun Akoko.

In Lagos, 31 wraps of cocaine concealed in a handbag were seized from Eze Nodebechi Austin at Yekeme, Badagry, arriving by boat from Cote d’Ivoire. Another suspect, Adekunle Oluwatosin Olajide, was arrested on Lagos Island with 3.6 kilograms of Canadian Loud and Colorado.

In Enugu, suspected drug dealer Emeka Okeke, 37, was apprehended at his Asata, Ezeagu hideout, with skunk, methamphetamine, cocaine, molly, and ₦457,700 recovered.

Meanwhile, NDLEA officers continued nationwide advocacy under the War Against Drug Abuse campaign, conducting sensitisation lectures at schools, religious centres, workplaces, and communities, including Agulu Awka Community Secondary School (Anambra), Okeodo Community High School (Igboora, Oyo State), and Wisdom Foundation Secondary School (Ado, Lagos). The Niger State command also visited the Emir of Suleja, Alhaji Mohammed Auwal Ibrahim.

Chairman and CEO of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers for the arrests and seizures and urged continued professionalism and commitment in drug supply and demand reduction efforts across Nigeria.