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Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have busted an international drug trafficking syndicate, arresting an Ivorian national and a 69-year-old medical doctor over alleged cocaine smuggling.
The agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, April 11, 2026.
According to the statement, the Ivorian suspect, Gohouri Michael, 41, was arrested at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport during the outward clearance of passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Milan, Italy, via Addis Ababa. He was found to have ingested 82 wraps of cocaine, weighing 1.49kg.
Further intelligence led operatives to a suspected coordinator of the operation, resulting in the arrest of a 69-year-old medical doctor, Dr. Chudi Daniel Ofomata, in Ogun State.
NDLEA operatives tracked the suspect to his residence at Magboro in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area, where he was arrested on March 27, 2026. He was later flown to Kano on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, for further investigation.
The statement added:
“Efforts to unravel local collaborators of an international drug syndicate paid off following the arrest of an Ivorian, Gohouri Michael, 41, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport with 82 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.49kg and the subsequent arrest of a 69-year-old medical doctor, Dr. Chudi Daniel Ofomata, in a follow-up operation in Ogun State.
“Michael Gohouri, also known as Anunwa Onyinye Michael, was arrested on Monday, February 16, 2026, during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940 to Milan Malpensa via Addis Ababa.
“He had arrived in Lagos from Milan, Italy, on January 17, 2026, and moved between Lagos and Enugu for about three weeks. He later travelled to Kano, where he stayed for a week before ingesting the cocaine consignment in his hotel room. He was to be paid 5,000 Euros upon successful delivery of the drugs in Milan.
“Further investigation revealed that Gohouri was receiving instructions from a hidden coordinator who directed the movement of the cocaine through the airport.
“The coordinator was later identified as Dr. Chudi Daniel Ofomata, who was tracked to his residence at Teachers’ Land Estate, Magboro, Obafemi Owode LGA, Ogun State, and arrested on March 27, 2026.”
The agency also confirmed that 63 grams of promazepam and seven ampoules of promethazine injection were recovered from the doctor at the time of his arrest.
