‘I need money for my baby’s christening party’, says bizman caught with cocaine at Lagos Airport
A 47-year-old Nigerian businessman residing in Brazil, Uche Franklin Onyekwere, was apprehended at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, after attempting to smuggle cocaine into the country by hiding it on his body and in his footwear, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has revealed.
According to the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, Onyekwere arrived on Thursday, January 29, 2026, on a South African Airways flight from Brazil via Johannesburg.
Acting on intelligence, operatives screened passengers and discovered suspicious activity surrounding the businessman.
“When subjected to a full-body scan, it became evident that the suspect had concealed illicit substances,” Babafemi said.
A subsequent strip search uncovered a large parcel of cocaine wrapped around his right thigh, along with additional wraps hidden inside the soles of his shoes. In total, three wraps weighing 1.6 kilograms were recovered.
During preliminary questioning, Onyekwere reportedly admitted to purchasing the drugs in Brazil with plans to resell them in Nigeria.
The businessman told the investigators that he planned to use part of the proceeds of the drug to fund the naming ceremony of his newborn and also expand his business.
Onyekwere has reportedly lived in São Paulo since 2008 and has operated his toy business for nearly a decade.
The NDLEA highlighted that the arrest formed part of a broader crackdown on illicit drugs. In Lagos, operatives at Tincan Seaport intercepted 1,183 kilograms of cannabis (Canadian Loud) hidden in vehicles, while in Niger State, a long truck carrying 2,735 kilograms of skunk and 1 kilogram of synthetic cannabis was seized on the Dei-Dei Abuja Expressway. The three suspects involved—Andy Chidogu (49), Kenneth Ogene (45), and Sadiq Olanrewaju (27)—were also taken into custody.
In Edo State, 66 bags of skunk weighing 792 kilograms were discovered hidden in charcoal sacks during a roadside interception.
Babafemi explained that the arrests reflect the agency’s ongoing efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks operating across the country. “Traffickers continue to adopt ingenious and dangerous methods to smuggle narcotics,” he noted, citing past cases where drugs were concealed in cakes, footwear, and other personal items.
