Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a Nigerian medical doctor and an Ivorian collaborator over their alleged involvement in cocaine trafficking.
According to the agency, the Ivorian suspect, Gohouri Michael, 41, was apprehended at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, during the outward clearance of passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Milan, Italy, via Addis Ababa.
According to a statement Femi Babafemi,
the NDLEA spokesman, Gohouri was found to have ingested 82 wraps of cocaine, weighing 1.49kg.
“Gohouri had arrived in Lagos from Milan, Italy, on January 17, 2026, and was shuttling from Lagos to Enugu for three weeks. He later travelled to Kano, where he stayed for a week before ingesting the cocaine consignment in his hotel room.
“He’s expected to be paid 5,000 euros when he delivers the drugs in Milan. Further investigation by NDLEA revealed that Gohouri had a shadowy figure behind the scene, giving him instructions on how to move the cocaine consignment through the airport,” the statement read.
Babafemi said further intelligence uncovered a suspected coordinator behind the operation, leading to the arrest of a 69-year-old medical doctor, Dr Chudi Ofomata, in Ogun State.
The NDLEA spokesman said NDLEA operatives tracked the doctor to his residence in Magboro, Obafemi Owode Local Government Area, where he was arrested on March 27, 2026.
“Further investigation by NDLEA revealed that Gohouri had a shadowy figure behind the scene, giving him instructions on how to move the cocaine consignment through the airport.
“The hidden figure behind Gohouri was eventually discovered to be Dr Chudi Ofomata, who was later tracked and traced to his residence at Teachers’ Land Estate, Magboro, Obafemi Owode LGA, Ogun State, where he was arrested on March 27, 2026, and flown to Kano on Tuesday, April 7.
“Recovered from him at the point of his arrest include 63 grams of promazepam and seven ampoules of promethazine injection,” the statement added.
In another operation in Lagos, Babafemi said operatives intercepted a luxury bus belonging to a popular transport company, Chisco Transport, with registration number AGU 442 XB, and recovered illicit drugs concealed within it.
“In Lagos, NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence on Tuesday, April 7, intercepted a Chisco Transport luxury bus marked AGU 442 XB going to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 15 kilograms of ‘skunk’, a strong strain of cannabis, concealed in one of the compartments of the bus. Two suspects, Kingsley Nsofor and Opara Ifeanyi, were promptly arrested,” he said.
