NDLEA arrests Ivorian, Nigerian doctor in cocaine trafficking bust, uncovers other drug operations

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA has arrested an Ivorian national, Gohouri Michael, 41, at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport for allegedly ingesting 82 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.49kg. Gohouri was attempting to board a flight to Milan, Italy. Further investigation led to the arrest of a 69-year-old medical doctor, Dr Chudi Ofomata, in Ogun State, who is suspected of coordinating the operation. Dr Ofomata was apprehended at his residence in Magboro, Obafemi Owode Local Government Area, on March 27, 2026, and was found with 63 grams of promazepam and seven ampoules of promethazine injection. In other operations, NDLEA operatives in Lagos intercepted a luxury bus belonging to Chisco Transport, recovering 15 kilograms of 'skunk' and arresting two suspects, Kingsley Nsofor and Opara Ifeanyi. In Abia State, 90-year-old Pa Friday Ahukanna Chigbu was arrested with 7.7 kilograms of skunk. Additional arrests and seizures include 34 kilograms of skunk in Ogun State, 56.2 kilograms of skunk with a 26-year-old woman in Imo State, and 118 kilograms of skunk from a couple in Niger State. In Borno State, a trailer carrying Rohypnol tablets, codeine syrup, and pentazocine injections was intercepted, and in Lagos, 26,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup were seized in Mushin.