The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a Brazil-based businessman for attempting to import a consignment of liquid cocaine into Nigeria concealed in shirts and towels. The interception, made at the country's busiest airport, points to the increasingly elaborate methods drug couriers are using to smuggle hard drugs into the country from South America.
The suspect, a 41-year-old São Paulo, Brazil-based businessman identified as Abugu Oliver Ikechukwu, was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos. He was intercepted upon arrival from Brazil, having travelled via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight on Thursday, June 11, 2026.
According to the agency, a thorough search of the suspect's luggage led to the discovery of 14 towels and shirts that had been soaked in liquid cocaine, then dried and neatly ironed in an effort to conceal the illicit substance. In total, the items were found to contain 6.10 kilograms of the drug, hidden in plain sight among ordinary-looking clothing.
The Director of Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the details of the arrest in a statement. He explained how operatives of the agency uncovered the consignment during routine checks at the airport, underscoring the scrutiny that arriving passengers and their baggage are subjected to in the fight against drug trafficking.
During interrogation, the suspect claimed that he has lived for over 14 years in Brazil, where he said he runs an African restaurant. He told investigators that his trip to Nigeria was for personal and business reasons, insisting that he had come to see his wife and to buy foodstuff in bulk for the restaurant he operates abroad.
The seizure adds to a string of interceptions recorded by the agency at the Lagos airport, where couriers have repeatedly attempted to move cocaine and other hard drugs concealed in everyday items. The case again highlights the role of the international air route, and particularly connections through third countries, in the smuggling of narcotics into Nigeria.