NDLEA arrests Ugandan woman with 87 cocaine wraps concealed in private part, intercepts drugs worth billions

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 34-year-old Ugandan woman, Farida Nansubuga, after discovering 87 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.15 kilograms concealed around her pelvic region at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. The arrest was among several operations across the country that also led to the interception of multi-billion-naira consignments of opioids, cannabis and other illicit substances destined for Nigeria and overseas markets.

The development was disclosed in a statement issued by the NDLEA and signed by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, November 8, 2026. According to the agency, the operations involved seizures and arrests at the Lagos airport, courier companies, drug distribution locations and cannabis farms across several states.

Nansubuga was arrested on Tuesday, November 3, during a joint passenger screening exercise involving NDLEA operatives and aviation security personnel at Terminal 2 of the Lagos airport. She was preparing to board a flight operated by a Ugandan airline when officers became suspicious during screening.

A body search indicated that a substance had been concealed around her pelvic region. She was subsequently taken to a designated private search room for further examination, where officers recovered 87 wraps of cocaine with a gross weight of 1.15 kilograms. The drugs were strapped around her pelvic region and held in place beneath two layers of underwear.

During preliminary interrogation, Nansubuga reportedly disclosed that 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 programme, the other members of her delegation returned to Uganda while she remained behind to collect the illicit consignment on behalf of a friend identified only as Joy, who resides in Uganda.

According to her account, Joy connected her with a contact in Nigeria who arranged a vehicle to convey her to a hotel on the morning of her scheduled departure. She alleged that a man handed her the cocaine and instructed her to conceal it beneath her clothing to evade airport security.

Although she claimed that no specific payment had been agreed upon, she expected to receive at least $1,000 upon successfully delivering the drugs.

In another major interception at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives on Friday, November 6, uncovered 750,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg weighing 526 kilograms, with an estimated street value of N900 million.

The consignment, which arrived from India aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Ahmedabad on November 3, had been falsely declared as Paracetamol Tablets 500mg. It consisted of 11 cartons packed inside two wooden structures.

Acting on suspicion surrounding the declaration, NDLEA officers placed the shipment under surveillance before conducting a joint examination with officers of the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies on November 6.

The examination revealed that ten of the 11 cartons contained Tapentadol tablets, while only the last carton contained paracetamol tablets, allegedly used as cover for the illicit shipment.

Also at the airport's import shed, officers intercepted 32 parcels of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis weighing 16.15 kilograms, concealed inside two wooden sofas in a consolidated cargo from Houston, Texas, United States. The shipment arrived aboard a Turkish Airlines flight on Wednesday, November 4.

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 also arrested when he arrived to collect the package.

Adeoye reportedly claimed that he had been sent by a friend, Taiwo Anuoluwapo Olusegun.

The agency also dismantled a syndicate allegedly involved in importing chemicals used in the production of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis, from the United Kingdom.

The operation followed the interception of nine parcels concealed in two cartons of snacks labelled "Michael Tea Guy" in a consolidated cargo that arrived aboard an Air Peace flight from the UK on October 23.

Two of the parcels contained 1.20 kilograms of cannabis, while forensic analysis of the remaining seven confirmed the presence of chemicals used in producing synthetic cannabis.

A 51-year-old freight agent, Afolabi Abiodun Wale, was arrested when he arrived to clear the consignment. Two additional cartons addressed to the same recipient subsequently arrived from the UK aboard an Allied Air flight.

A sting operation conducted between October 26 and 28 led to the arrest of another 51-year-old suspect, Okwuite Benjamin Ojone, when he took delivery of the four cartons.

A search of the additional cartons uncovered three parcels weighing 3.30 kilograms concealed in two packs of detergent, alongside 11 plastic bottles containing mostly liquid substances weighing 16.25 kilograms. The total recovery from the operation amounted to 1.20 kilograms of cannabis and 28.65 kilograms of chemicals suspected to be used in producing synthetic cannabis.

At courier companies in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, November 3, intercepted 46 blocks of cannabis weighing 22.2 kilograms, packed in two cartons and destined for the United Kingdom.

Earlier, on October 30, officers intercepted 296 tablets of Swinol being sent to Australia from Lagos. They also recovered three shipments of tramadol destined for the UK. These included 20 capsules from Benin City and 96 capsules from Sapele, Delta State, both concealed in vitamin C containers, as well as 600 tablets of Tramadol 225mg from Asaba, hidden inside female headwear.

In another Lagos operation, a 32-year-old suspect, Abubakar Ali, was arrested on Friday, November 6, at the Marine Beach area of Apapa. Officers recovered several drugs from a small store he had constructed inside the sitting room of his apartment.

The recovered substances included 1.06 kilograms of Tramadol 250mg, 1.27 kilograms of Tramadol 225mg, 400 grams of pregabalin capsules, 355 grams of diazepam, 200 millilitres of codeine and 6.07 kilograms of cannabis.

In Ondo State, NDLEA operatives raided Odofin Road, Uso, on November 6, where they recovered 148 bags of cannabis weighing 1,818 kilograms.

On the same day, officers also raided a cannabis farm in Board Forest, destroying a one-hectare plantation and recovering 242 kilograms of the drug. A 36-year-old suspect, Itoro Linus Akpan, was arrested during the operation.

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 kilograms of cannabis and cannabis seeds.

In Edo State, operatives intercepted a Volkswagen Golf saloon car loaded with 19 bags of cannabis weighing 201 kilograms along the Auchi-Ibillo Road in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area on Friday, November 6.

The operation led to the arrest of the driver, 39-year-old Abdulmumid Isah, and a passenger, 25-year-old Danako Godwin.

In a related operation, officers raided a notorious drug joint on Ihama Road, GRA, Benin City, where three suspects identified as Emmanuel Sunday, 25; Samuel Bala, 31; and Loveth Momodu, 20, were arrested with quantities of Colorado, Loud and cannabis.

In Taraba State, NDLEA operatives conducting stop-and-search operations at the agency's checkpoint in Lankaviri, Yorro Local Government Area, arrested three suspects with a combined 283 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 226.255 kilograms within two days.

On Thursday, November 5, officers arrested 45-year-old Ibrahim Abdullahi with 156 blocks weighing 149.275 kilograms. Another suspect, 25-year-old Kabiru Usman, was arrested the same day with 80 blocks weighing 40.07 kilograms.

On Friday, November 6, 32-year-old Babangida Babayo was arrested with 47 blocks weighing 36.91 kilograms.

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 kilograms.

At another interception at the Ugwuoba checkpoint, officers arrested 40-year-old Godwin Shaapera with 24,000 capsules of tramadol weighing 13.4 kilograms and 697 grams of ketamine.

In Delta State, a 30-year-old suspect, Edugua Othuke, was arrested at Ozoro in Isoko North Local Government Area on Saturday, October 31, with 10.54 kilograms of skunk, 9.4 kilograms of cannabis seeds and 4.3 grams of methamphetamine.

Another suspect, 34-year-old Akpofure Tobore, was arrested on Wednesday, November 4, at Upper Agbarho in the Ughelli area with quantities of skunk, tramadol, rohypnol and nitrous oxide, commonly referred to as laughing gas.

Meanwhile, NDLEA Commands and formations across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.

The activities included enlightenment lectures for students and staff of St. Andrew Basic School in Oyo town, Oyo State; Government Technical College, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State; Sa'ad College, Kano; and Inland Girls Secondary School, Onitsha, Anambra State.

The agency's Zone 1 Command also paid a WADA advocacy visit to the Emir of Bauchi, His Royal Highness Alhaji Rilwanu Sulaiman Adamu, at his palace in Bauchi, among other engagements.

Commending officers and personnel of the MMIA, Lagos, Ondo, Ekiti, Edo, Delta, Taraba and Enugu Commands for the seizures and arrests, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), urged officers across the country to sustain their efforts in tackling drug trafficking and abuse.

Marwa described the arrest of the Ugandan woman as a reminder that drug cartels were willing to exploit even religious activities and international travel to recruit unsuspecting individuals as couriers.

He urged officers to maintain the momentum of the agency's supply and demand reduction efforts, while continuing operations against drug trafficking networks and public sensitisation campaigns.