Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have dismantled an international drug trafficking network, arresting an Ivorian national and a 69-year-old medical doctor over cocaine smuggling.
The agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed in a statement on Sunday, April 11, 2026, that the Ivorian suspect, Gohouri Michael, 41, was apprehended at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, while undergoing departure clearance for an Ethiopian Airlines flight bound for Milan, Italy, via Addis Ababa.
According to the statement, Gohouri was found to have ingested 82 wraps of cocaine with a total weight of 1.49 kilograms.
Subsequent intelligence gathering led to the identification of a suspected coordinator behind the operation, resulting in the arrest of a medical doctor, Dr. Chudi Ofomata, in Ogun State.
NDLEA operatives tracked the doctor to his residence in Magboro, within Obafemi Owode Local Government Area, where he was arrested on March 27, 2026.
The agency stated that efforts to uncover local collaborators in the international drug syndicate paid off with the arrest of Gohouri at the Kano airport and the follow-up capture of Dr. Ofomata in Ogun State.
Further details revealed that Gohouri, also known as Anunwa Onyinye Michael, was arrested on Monday, February 16, 2026, during clearance for Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940 to Milan. He had earlier arrived in Lagos from Milan on January 17 and spent about three weeks moving between Lagos and Enugu before travelling to Kano, where he lodged in a hotel for a week and ingested the drug consignment.
He was reportedly promised a payment of €5,000 upon successful delivery of the drugs in Milan.
Investigations also showed that Gohouri had been acting under the instructions of a concealed coordinator who guided his movements throughout the operation. This individual was later identified as Dr. Chudi Daniel Ofomata.
The doctor was eventually traced to his residence at Teachers’ Land Estate in Magboro, Ogun State, where he was arrested and later flown to Kano on April 7, 2026, for further investigation.
Items recovered from him at the time of arrest included 63 grams of promazepam and seven ampoules of promethazine injection.
