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59-Year-Old Businessman Swallows 81 Cocaine Pellets, Undergoes Surgery After Arrest in Lagos

ByTitilope Adako

PublishedFebruary 2, 2025

A 59-year-old Nigerian businessman, Chijioke Nnanna Igbokwe, has undergone surgery to remove 57 out of 81 cocaine pellets that were stuck in his stomach after spending seven days with the illicit substances in his system.

Igbokwe was arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the arrival hall of Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines passengers on Sunday, 26 January 2025.

According to a statement on Sunday, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, “a body scan revealed the illicit drugs in his system, leading to his detention for excretion observation.”

Investigations revealed that the suspect, who claimed to be a clothing trader in Oshodi, Lagos, had travelled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on January 22.

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He ingested 81 wraps of cocaine on 23 January before boarding a flight to Beirut, Lebanon, where he was expected to deliver the drugs for $3,000.

“After five days under excretion observation, he could only expel 24 pellets following initial medical intervention at the Agency’s medical facility and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) Ikeja,” NDLEA stated.

“With the clock ticking for him and the complication of other underlying medical conditions, the suspect was eventually admitted at the tertiary facility where he had to undergo exploratory laparotomy to extract the remaining 57 wraps of cocaine stuck in his stomach after his wife and brother endorsed the necessary consent forms on Thursday, 30th January.”

A total of 81 cocaine pellets, weighing 1.943 kilograms, were recovered from his stomach.

Titilope Adako

Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.