NDLEA Drags Brazil Returnee To Court Over Alleged Cocaine Importation

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arraigned Abugu Oliver Ikechukwu, a Nigerian who recently returned from Brazil, over the alleged unlawful importation of 6.1 kilograms of cocaine into the country.

Ikechukwu was arraigned before Justice Friday Ogazi of the Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday.

According to the prosecution, the alleged offence occurred on June 11, 2026, at Gate 2 of the Arrival Hall of Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

The prosecutor, Abu Ibrahim, told the court that the defendant was intercepted during the inward clearance of passengers arriving on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Brazil via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to Lagos.

The prosecution alleged that Ikechukwu concealed the prohibited substance by immersing and soaking it in towels and other clothing.

Ibrahim said the alleged offence contravened Section 11(a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, which provides punishment for unlawful importation of narcotic drugs.

When the charge was read to him, the defendant pleaded not guilty.

Following the plea, NDLEA counsel asked the court to fix a date for trial and order the defendant’s remand pending the determination of the case.

However, Ikechukwu’s lawyer, Benson Ndakara, informed the court that he had filed a bail application on behalf of his client and served it on the prosecution.

The defence counsel was unable to move the application due to the court’s tight schedule.

Consequently, Justice Ogazi ordered that the defendant be remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) until September 9, 2026, when his bail application is scheduled to be heard.

The charge alleged that Ikechukwu, on or about June 11, 2026, at Gate 2 of the Arrival Hall of Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, unlawfully imported 6.1 kilograms of cocaine during the inward clearance of passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Brazil via Addis Ababa.

The prosecution further alleged that the cocaine was immersed or soaked in towels and other clothing and that the act constituted an offence punishable under Section 11(a) of the NDLEA Act.