Lovely Chukwulobelu, a 25-year-old newlywed businessman, was detained by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu on suspicion of trying to transport 72 wraps of cocaine to Portugal.
According to the NDLEA, Chukwulobelu turned to drug trafficking in order to pay for the costs of his September 13, 2026 wedding.
Femi Babafemi, the agency’s director of media and advocacy, made this revelation in a statement on Sunday.
The statement claims that on Thursday, September 25, the suspect, a resident of Portugal, was stopped by NDLEA agents at the Enugu airport’s departure hall while trying to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Portugal via Addis Ababa.
The statement partly read, ” The groom was intercepted by NDLEA officers at the departure hall of the Enugu airport on Thursday, 25th September 2026, with cocaine in his gut and a wedding ring on his finger, while he attempted to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Portugal via Addis Ababa. He was subsequently placed under excretion observation during which he egested a total of 72 wraps of the Class A illicit drug.
“The suspect, who claimed he was into the car decoration business at the Trade Fair Complex, Ojo area of Lagos before he relocated to Portugal in May 2023, said he returned to Nigeria recently to get married on 13th September 2026.
He said he resorted to the criminal trade to offset expenses incurred during his wedding.”
Additionally, Babafemi reported that 2,550,000 pills of Royal Tapentadol 250mg and Tramakings 225mg and 250mg were found at the import shed of Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
The drugs, which weighed 1,640.55 kg, were discovered, he said, during a joint inspection of three monitored shipments that were imported from Bangladesh and India via Ethiopian Airlines, RwandAir, and Qatar Airways.
He said that two suspects in Bauchi State, Umar Hamidu, 35, and Abdulkarim Salihu, 45, were taken into custody along with 300 compressed blocks of skunk that weighed 262.5 kg.
He claimed that along the Maiduguri bypass, the cannabis was hidden in the false bottom of a truck with the license plate MUB757 YH.
In a similar vein, he claimed that NDLEA officers assisted by soldiers destroyed two cannabis farms at Eko Camp, Ilushi, Edo State, with a combined estimated yield of 1,360.23 kg.
Two women, Odumabo Kehinde, 36, and Obiekwe Chioma, 40, were detained in Lagos at Anifowoshe Street, Mushin, with 3.4 kg of skunk, according to Babafemi.
At Ebute-Ero Motor Park, another suspect, Ugwu Johnson, 58, was apprehended with 5.920 kg of skunk, 2,400 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 8,400 nitrazepam tablets, and 40,000 tramadol pills.
As I reflect on the recent arrest of a newlywed at Enugu airport for alleged cocaine possession, I am left wondering why individuals continue to engage in such reckless behavior despite the obvious risks and consequences. It’s disheartening to see people, who should be starting new lives and building a future together, instead make choices that can lead to incarceration, ruin their reputation, and even put their lives in danger. The allure of quick money or the thrill of getting away with something may seem tempting, but the reality is that the consequences of getting caught far outweigh any fleeting benefits. It’s a tragic reminder that some people may not learn from the mistakes of others, and that’s a lesson that can only be learned through personal experience – a painful and often irreversible one.
Live with Purpose, Love with Passion. Remember to be happy
One 
Rose Ajieh
