The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has dismantled an international cocaine trafficking cartel that allegedly used Nigeria as a transit hub for moving illicit drugs to the United Kingdom, other parts of Europe and Asia.

The agency also arrested the alleged Nigerian arrowhead of the syndicate, a self-styled luxury goods dealer and social media influencer, Afolabi Michael, popularly known online as “KC Luxury,” as he attempted to flee the country.

A statement by the agency spokesman, Femi Babafemi, on Tuesday, said the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (retd.), disclosed this while addressing journalists in Lagos on Tuesday.

Marwa described the operation as one of the most significant narcotics investigations undertaken by the agency in recent times, saying it led to the seizure of 184.50kg of cocaine, the largest cocaine seizure made through a courier company in Nigeria.

According to him, the operation began with the interception of the cocaine consignment concealed for onward export through a courier logistics channel in Lagos.

He said following the seizure, he directed the constitution of a Special Investigation Team to trace the entire network behind the shipment, from the couriers to the masterminds.

Marwa said the cartel hoped to realise as much as N39bn from the consignment through its international distribution network.

“The operation began with the interception of a consignment of 184.50 kilograms of cocaine concealed for onward export through a courier logistics channel in Lagos. Given the scale of the seizure.

“I immediately directed the constitution of a Special Investigation Team, with a mandate to trace the entire network behind the shipment, from the couriers to the masterminds.

“The cartel was hoping to realise as much as N39 billion from the consignment through their international distribution network, ” the statement quoted Marwa as saying.

Working with the management of the courier company involved, Marwa said NDLEA operatives unravelled a network of intermediary companies and individuals used to process the consignment, leading to the arrest of two key suspects, among others.

“The first, Lawal Mujab Kehinde, a staff member of the logistics firm through which the cocaine was processed, was found to have a direct and sustained relationship with the cartel’s Nigerian coordinator. Investigation also established that he packages and processes consignments for the syndicate, routes them to the United Kingdom, other parts of Europe and Asia, while he was paid in cash.

“The second and more prominent suspect is Afolabi Kazeem Michael, popularly known online as “KC Luxury,” whom investigations identified as the Nigerian arrowhead of the cartel. Parading as a social media influencer and businessman dealing in gold, jewellery, and luxury goods, Afolabi used his glamorous public image to disguise a criminal enterprise moving cocaine along a pipeline stretching from South America, through Nigeria, to the United Kingdom, other parts of Europe and Asia,” Marwa said.

Marwa said Afolabi was arrested at the boarding gate of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on August 13, 2026, after intelligence indicated that he planned to flee the country on a business-class flight to Paris.

He said the suspect was found in possession of €7,750, £2,800 and N100,000 cash, as well as expensive jewellery.

A subsequent search of his luxury apartment on Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos, also led to the recovery of exotic vehicles, according to the NDLEA boss.

Marwa said investigations further showed that the cartel used false identities to conceal the true consignors of its shipments and relied on financial facilitators who moved billions of naira on its behalf.

He added that the syndicate maintained criminal contacts in the UK, some of whom had been arrested by British authorities in connection with the same cartel.

The NDLEA boss linked the operation to recent successes against transnational drug networks, including the dismantling of the Switzerland-based Simon Amadi drug cartel, which allegedly laundered millions of dollars through dark web marketplaces, as well as the takedown of two Nigerian-Mexican methamphetamine syndicates operating clandestine laboratories in forests in Ogun and Oyo states.

Marwa said the latest operation demonstrated that drug traffickers could no longer hide behind luxury lifestyles, forests, ports or courier companies.

“These operations send an unmistakable signal that this Agency’s reach extends into the ports, the forests, the luxury apartments, and the departure lounges alike, and that no sanctuary exists anywhere in Nigeria for those who traffic in poison,” he said.

He noted that drug trafficking organisations had recently shifted from seaports and airports, where scrutiny had intensified, to courier and logistics companies, which they allegedly considered less monitored channels for moving narcotics across international borders.

Marwa said the dismantling of the cartel, from the interception of the cocaine consignment to the arrest of its alleged Nigerian coordinator, demonstrated the agency’s capacity to detect traffickers wherever they operated.

“There is no alternative route into or out of Nigeria for illicit drugs that this Agency cannot police,” he stated.

The NDLEA chief also described the operation as a product of international cooperation, noting the near-simultaneous arrests of suspected cartel members in Nigeria and the UK.

He commended the agency’s international partners and members of the Special Investigation Team, coordinated by the Director of Operations and General Investigation, for their professionalism in unravelling the syndicate.

Marwa warned individuals who use luxury brands, glamorous lifestyles and social media personas to conceal drug trafficking activities that the agency would track them down.

“To those who believe they can hide behind luxury brands, glamorous lifestyles, and social media personas while trafficking poison into our communities and across our borders, this Agency will find you,” he said.

Give headline

The Enugu State Government has urged residents to make use of the 112 toll-free emergency line to access prompt security services anywhere in the state.

The Senior Special Assistant to Governor Peter Mbah on Security, Mr Vincent Onyeabor, made the call on Monday during an ongoing journalists’ tour of projects executed by the state government.

The journalists visited various workstations at the Command-and-Control Centre in Enugu, where Onyeabor explained how the state’s emergency response system operates.

He said the state had adopted the National Emergency Number 112 as its official emergency security services line, with a dedicated workstation at the Command-and-Control Centre receiving calls round the clock.

According to him, personnel manning the 112 workstation work in shifts to ensure that emergency reports are promptly received, processed and escalated to the appropriate security agencies for immediate action.

“The 112 toll-free line section can trigger action in terms of security emergency situations.

“The section will escalate the information received to the Command-and-Control Centre, Enugu, which can use the state-wide fibre cameras to trace the security or crime situation.

“The section can also escalate the information to the nearest Distress Response Squad (DRS) vehicle to take action,” he said.

Onyeabor urged residents to take advantage of the emergency line and continue to report security incidents to enable the authorities to respond quickly.

“Our people should take advantage of the 112 toll-free line as we want the calls to keep coming,” he said.

He added that residents could also contact the security response team through 09134666668 and 09134448093.

Onyeabor further attributed an estimated 80 per cent reduction in crime in the state to the government’s investment in technology-driven security infrastructure.

He listed the fibre-enabled surveillance cameras, Command-and-Control Centre, 112 emergency response system, drone technology and mobile statewide DRS squad among the measures deployed to strengthen security across the state.

The alleged daylight robbery of motorists and commuters by men in military and police uniforms along the Okigwe axis of the Enugu–Port Harcourt Road is becoming too brazen to ignore.

For motorists travelling from Enugu towards Okigwe, the ordeal reportedly begins shortly after Lokpanta, where a series of checkpoints can quickly turn an ordinary journey into an encounter with fear, intimidation and demands for money.

What makes the situation particularly disturbing is the difficulty in identifying the security personnel manning some of these checkpoints. On some occasions, their vehicles are unmarked. At other times, motorists say it is difficult to determine whether the men are police officers, soldiers or personnel of another security formation.

Yet, according to accounts from commuters and motorists, the alleged modus operandi remains remarkably similar.

A commercial bus is stopped and searched. Two or three young passengers may be singled out and labelled “Yahoo boys” — a term commonly used to describe suspected internet fraudsters. From there, an alleged demand for money follows, with some victims reportedly told to produce N50,000 or more.

The demand, according to the accounts, is often required in cash.

The victim is then left with little choice but to mount an okada to the nearest Point-of-Sale terminal, frequently around the Hausa settlement at Lokpanta, withdraw the demanded cash and return to the checkpoint.

For private motorists, the allegation takes a slightly different form. The vehicle may suddenly be described as stolen or suspicious. Instead of a formal verification process, the alleged encounter reportedly degenerates into negotiation, with the motorist expected to pay an agreed amount before being allowed to continue the journey.

Then the checkpoint goes back to business as usual.

The most troubling aspect of these allegations is not merely the money reportedly extorted from motorists. It is the mystery surrounding the identity and authority of the men operating the checkpoints.

Who are they?

Which security formation do they belong to?

Who deployed them?

And under whose authority are they operating?

One victim reportedly became so concerned about the identity of the personnel that he contacted an Army officer for assistance. The officer, in turn, reportedly reached out to police and Army formations in Abia State to establish whether the men were operating under their command.

The response, according to the victim’s account, was that none of the formations contacted recognised the team as theirs.

That raises an even more disturbing question: if they are not from Abia, Imo, Ebonyi or Enugu security formations, where exactly did they come from?

The Enugu–Port Harcourt corridor is one of the most important transportation routes in the Southeast. Thousands of people use it daily for business, work, family commitments and interstate travel. Security checkpoints are supposed to provide protection, prevent crime and reassure travellers.

They should not become sources of fear.

Of course, legitimate security operations must be distinguished from allegations of criminal conduct. Police officers and soldiers have a responsibility to stop suspected criminals, inspect vehicles and investigate suspicious movements. But where money is demanded from citizens without transparent legal justification, where suspects are allegedly forced to withdraw cash from POS operators, and where the identity of the personnel involved cannot be established, the matter demands urgent investigation.

There is also a wider security concern.

If genuine security personnel are involved, their respective commands need to identify them and establish whether their conduct is authorised.

If they are not genuine security personnel, then the possibility of criminals impersonating police officers or soldiers becomes even more serious.

Either way, the authorities cannot afford to look away.

The repeated complaints from motorists along the Okigwe axis deserve more than informal assurances. The police, Army and other relevant security agencies should investigate the checkpoints, establish the identity of the personnel operating them and make public the formations responsible for security operations along the route.

The Abia State, Imo, Enugu and Ebonyi Government and the relevant local authorities also have a responsibility to demand answers.

For too long, motorists have reportedly endured harassment, intimidation and alleged extortion along this stretch of road.

The question is no longer whether travellers are complaining.

They are.

The real question is: who are the men behind these checkpoints, who authorised them, and why are motorists allegedly being forced to pay cash before they can continue their journeys?

That question requires an answer — and it requires one urgently.

By Chinedu Sabastine

ENUGU — A Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Valentine Chimaobi Nwajiagu, was allegedly attacked on Sunday by a member of the Knights of St. John International, Sir Iyke Nwatakwocha, at St. Anthony Catholic Church, New GRA, Trans-Ekulu, Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu State.

The incident reportedly occurred shortly after the 6am Mass, during which Fr. Nwajiagu participated in a priestly exchange programme at the parish.

Fr. Nwajiagu is the Assistant Parish Priest of Assumption Catholic Church, Nkwo Nike, Enugu.

Sources said Nwatakwocha, who was allegedly visibly angry, confronted the priest and damaged his vehicle. He was also said to have threatened some worshippers who attempted to intervene.

The reason for the alleged confrontation was not immediately known as of the time of filing this report.

However, some worshippers claimed that the same individual had allegedly confronted Fr. Nwajiagu earlier in the year at his parish, raising concerns that Sunday’s incident may have been a recurrence.

The worshippers urged the Catholic Diocese of Enugu to investigate the incident and take appropriate measures to prevent further confrontation involving the priest.

The allegations could not be independently verified as of press time.

Efforts to obtain the reactions of Fr. Nwajiagu, Nwatakwocha, the Knights of St. John International and the Catholic Diocese of Enugu were ongoing as of the time of filing this report.