NDLEA intercepts Brazil returnee with cocaine concealed in private part; suspect says he needed to raise money for his baby’s naming ceremony

A Brazil based Nigerian businessman Uche Franklin Onyekwere has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja-Lagos for concealing parcels of cocaine in his private part and soles of his footwear.

Onyekwere was arrested on Thursday 29th January 2026 during the inward clearance of South African Airways flight passengers arriving from Brazil via Johannesburg following processed intelligence.

Confirming the arrest, Femi Babafemi, spokesperson of the agency, said when the 47-year-old suspect was taken for full body scan, the result confirmed illicit drug concealment.

‘’As a result, he was subjected to a strip search, during which a big parcel of white powdery substance, which later tested positive for cocaine, was discovered wrapped around his right thigh. A further search revealed two additional wraps of the same substance concealed in the sole of a pair of flat shoes worn by the suspect. In all, three large wraps of cocaine, with a gross weight of 1.60 kilograms, were recovered from his body and footwear.”

Babafemi stated that during a preliminary interview, the suspect revealed he purchased the illicit drug consignment in Brazil with the intention to resell the cocaine in Nigeria in order to raise capital to boost his business and also finance the naming ceremony of his newly born child. The suspect who lives in Rua Ever, Mulariuha, São Paulo, claimed that he has been living in Brazil since 2008 while he has been operating a toy business for about nine years.