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Ugandan Woman Arrested With 87 Wraps of Cocaine Concealed In Private Parts After Lagos Crusade
Ugandan Woman Arrested With 87 Wraps of Cocaine Concealed In Private Parts After Lagos Crusade
NDLEA arrests 34-year-old Ugandan woman with 87 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.15kg at Lagos airport after she allegedly stayed behind following a church prayer session to collect the consignment for delivery to Uganda.
Agency intercepts 750,000 Tapentadol tablets worth ₦900 million, falsely declared as paracetamol, in a shipment from India.
Other interceptions include cannabis, tramadol and synthetic cannabis chemicals concealed in wooden sofas, snack cartons, detergent packs, vitamin containers and female headwear, with shipments destined for the UK and Australia.
Nationwide operations result in multiple arrests and seizures of illicit drugs, while NDLEA intensifies its War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaign.
November 8, () – A 34-year-old Ugandan woman, Ms. Farida Nansubuga, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, with 87 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.15 kilogrammes concealed around her pelvic region as she allegedly attempted to smuggle the drugs into Uganda.
The suspect, who reportedly travelled to Nigeria with members of her church for a spiritual renewal prayer session in Lagos, was arrested on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at the screening point of Terminal 2 while preparing to board a Ugandan airline flight to her home country.
According to the NDLEA, the arrest followed a joint passenger screening exercise involving its operatives and aviation security personnel.
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A body search raised suspicion of a substance concealed around her pelvic region, prompting her transfer to a designated private search room for further examination.
The secondary search led to the recovery of 87 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.15 kilogrammes, strapped around her pelvic region and secured beneath two layers of underwear.
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The agency disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
During preliminary interrogation, Nansubuga reportedly said she arrived in Nigeria on October 29 with members of her church for a prayer session at The Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), in the Ikotun-Egbe area of Lagos.
She claimed that after the prayer session, other members of her delegation returned to Uganda while she remained behind to collect the consignment on behalf of a friend identified simply as Joy, who lives in Uganda.
According to the suspect, Joy directed her to a contact in Nigeria, who arranged transportation to a hotel on the morning of her scheduled departure.
She alleged that the man handed her the cocaine at the hotel and instructed her to conceal it beneath her clothing to evade airport security screening.
Although no specific payment was agreed upon, Nansubuga reportedly said she expected to receive at least $1,000 upon successfully delivering the consignment in Uganda.
₦900m Tapentadol Shipment Intercepted
In another major operation at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives intercepted 750,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg, weighing 526 kilogrammes and estimated to have a street value of ₦900 million.
The consignment, which originated from India, was falsely declared as Paracetamol Tablets 500mg and arrived at the airport’s import shed on November 3 aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Ahmedabad.
The shipment comprised 11 cartons packed inside two wooden structures.
According to the agency, officers became suspicious of the declared contents and placed the consignment under surveillance before conducting a joint examination with officers of the Nigeria Customs Service and other relevant agencies on Friday, November 6.
The examination revealed that 10 of the 11 cartons contained Tapentadol tablets, while only the last carton contained paracetamol tablets used as cover for the illicit shipment.
Also at the airport’s import shed, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday, November 4, intercepted 32 parcels of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 16.15 kilogrammes.
The substance was concealed inside two wooden sofas in a consolidated cargo shipment from Houston, Texas, United States, which arrived aboard a Turkish Airlines flight.
A freight agent, Ibrahim Abdulwaheed Adewale, who presented himself to clear the consignment, was arrested.
In a follow-up operation on Friday, November 6, a 34-year-old caterer from Ibadan, Oyo State, Adeoye Sarafa Ojo, was arrested when he arrived to collect the package. He reportedly claimed that he was sent by a friend, identified as Taiwo Anuoluwapo Olusegun.
UK-Linked Synthetic Cannabis Syndicate Uncovered
The NDLEA also uncovered a syndicate allegedly involved in importing chemicals used in the production of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis, from the United Kingdom.
The breakthrough followed the interception of nine parcels of illicit substances concealed inside two cartons of snacks bearing the inscription “Michael Tea Guy”.
The consignment arrived aboard an Air Peace flight from the UK on Friday, October 23.
Two of the parcels contained 1.20 kilogrammes of cannabis, while forensic analysis of the remaining seven confirmed that they contained chemicals used in the production of synthetic cannabis.
A 51-year-old freight agent, Afolabi Abiodun Wale, who came forward to clear the consignment, was arrested.
The agency subsequently tracked two additional cartons addressed to the same recipient, which arrived from the UK aboard an Allied Air flight.
A sting operation conducted between Monday, October 26, and Wednesday, October 28, led to the arrest of another 51-year-old suspect, Okwuite Benjamin Ojone, when he attempted to take delivery of the four cartons.
A search of the two additional cartons uncovered three parcels weighing 3.30 kilogrammes concealed inside two packs of detergent, alongside 11 plastic bottles containing mostly liquid substances weighing 16.25 kilogrammes.
The total seizure from the operation comprised 1.20 kilogrammes of cannabis and 28.65 kilogrammes of chemicals suspected to be intended for the production of synthetic cannabis.
Drugs Concealed In Female Headwear, Other Shipments Intercepted
At courier companies in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, November 3, intercepted 46 blocks of cannabis weighing 22.2 kilogrammes packed in two cartons and destined for the United Kingdom.
Earlier, on Friday, October 30, the agency intercepted 296 tablets of Swinol being shipped from Lagos to Australia.
The operatives also intercepted three separate shipments of tramadol destined for the UK.
The shipments comprised 20 capsules intercepted in Benin City and 96 capsules recovered in Sapele, Delta State, both concealed inside vitamin C containers, as well as 600 tablets of Tramadol 225mg intercepted in Asaba, Delta State, and hidden inside female headwear.
In another operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Friday, November 6, arrested a 32-year-old man, Abubakar Ali, at the Marine Beach area of Apapa.
The arrest followed the discovery of a concealed drug storage facility inside a small store built within the sitting room of his apartment.
Items recovered from the premises included 1.06 kilogrammes of Tramadol 250mg, 1.27 kilogrammes of Tramadol 225mg, 400 grammes of pregabalin capsules, 355 grammes of diazepam, 200 millilitres of codeine and 6.07 kilogrammes of cannabis.
Nationwide Operations Yield Massive Drug Seizures
In Ondo State, NDLEA operatives on Friday, November 6, raided Odofin Road, Uso, where they recovered 148 bags of cannabis weighing 1,818 kilogrammes.
On the same day, officers raided a cannabis farm in Board Forest, destroyed a one-hectare plantation, recovered 242 kilogrammes of the substance and arrested a 36-year-old suspect, Itoro Linus Akpan.
In neighbouring Ekiti State, a 53-year-old man, Agbo Paul Peter, was arrested at Osin Forest, Osin-Ekiti, on Thursday, November 5, with 216 kilogrammes of cannabis and cannabis seeds.
In Edo State, operatives intercepted a Volkswagen Golf saloon car loaded with 19 bags of cannabis weighing 201 kilogrammes along the Auchi-Ibillo Road in Akoko Edo Local Government Area on Friday, November 6.
The driver, Abdulmumid Isah, 39, and a passenger, Danako Godwin, 25, were arrested.
In a related operation, officers raided a notorious drug joint on Ihama Road, GRA, Benin City, where three suspects, Emmanuel Sunday, 25; Samuel Bala, 31; and Loveth Momodu, 20, were arrested with quantities of Colorado, Loud, and cannabis.
In Taraba State, operatives on stop-and-search duty at the NDLEA checkpoint in Lankaviri, Yorro Local Government Area, arrested three suspects with 283 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 226.255 kilogrammes within two days.
On Thursday, November 5, Ibrahim Abdullahi, 45, was arrested with 156 blocks weighing 149.275 kilogrammes, while Kabiru Usman, 25, was apprehended with 80 blocks weighing 40.07 kilogrammes.
The following day, operatives arrested Babangida Babayo, 32, with 47 blocks weighing 36.91 kilogrammes.
In Enugu State, a 57-year-old man, Celestine Uzochukwu Ejiakor, was arrested on Tuesday, November 3, at a checkpoint in Eke Obinagu with 44 blocks of cannabis weighing 22.5 kilogrammes.
At another checkpoint in Ugwuoba, officers arrested Godwin Shaapera, 40, with 24,000 capsules of Tramadol weighing 13.4 kilogrammes and 697 grammes of ketamine.
In Delta State, NDLEA operatives arrested a 30-year-old suspect, Edugua Othuke, at Ozoro, Isoko North Local Government Area, on Saturday, October 31, with 10.54 kilogrammes of skunk, 9.4 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds and 4.3 grammes of methamphetamine.
Another suspect, Akpofure Tobore, 34, was arrested on Wednesday, November 4, at Upper Agbarho, Ughelli, with quantities of skunk, tramadol, rohypnol and laughing gas.
NDLEA Intensifies Drug Abuse Awareness Campaign
Meanwhile, the agency said its commands and formations across the country sustained their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, religious centres, workplaces and communities during the week.
The awareness activities included lectures for students and staff of St. Andrew Basic School, Oyo town, Oyo State; Government Technical College, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State; Sa’ad College, Kano; and Inland Girls Secondary School, Onitsha, Anambra State.
The Zone 1 Command also paid a WADA advocacy visit to the Emir of Bauchi, HRH Alhaji Rilwanu Sulaiman Adamu, at his palace in Bauchi.
Reacting to the arrests and seizures, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers and personnel of the MMIA, Lagos, Ondo, Ekiti, Edo, Delta, Taraba and Enugu commands for their efforts.
Marwa described the case involving the Ugandan woman as a reminder that drug cartels would go to any length, including exploiting religious activities and travel, to recruit couriers for their illicit trade.
He urged officers across the agency’s commands to sustain the momentum of their drug supply and demand reduction operations.
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