The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 34-year-old Ugandan woman, Ms. Farida Nansubuga, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos for attempting to smuggle cocaine concealed in her private part. She was intercepted during a joint passenger screening exercise at Terminal 2 with aviation security personnel on November 3, 2026. Nansubuga was about to board a Ugandan airline flight to her home country.
According to the NDLEA, a body search pointed to a substance hidden around her pelvic region, after which she was taken to a private search room where operatives recovered 87 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.150 kilograms. The cocaine was strapped around her pelvic area and held in place beneath two layers of underwear. Preliminary interrogation revealed that Nansubuga arrived in Nigeria on October 29, 2026, with members of her church for a prayer session.
Nansubuga claimed that she was asked by a friend, Joy, who resides in Uganda, to collect the illicit consignment. She said Joy linked her to a contact in Nigeria who arranged a vehicle that took her to a hotel on the morning of her scheduled departure, where the man handed her the drug and instructed her to hide it beneath her clothing to beat airport security. She claimed no definite fee was agreed but expected to be paid at least $1,000 on successful delivery.
In another interception at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives uncovered 750,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg weighing 526 kilograms and valued at N900 million in a consignment from India declared as Paracetamol Tablets 500mg. The consignment arrived at the import shed on November 3, 2026, aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Ahmedabad, India. Suspicious of the declaration, NDLEA officers placed the cargo under surveillance until a joint examination with Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies on November 6 revealed opioid pills in ten cartons.
The NDLEA also intercepted 32 parcels of Loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 16.15 kilograms, concealed inside two wooden sofas in a consolidated cargo that arrived from Houston, Texas, United States aboard a Turkish Airlines flight on November 4, 2026. A freight agent, Ibrahim Abdulwaheed Adewale, who came to clear the consignment was arrested. In a follow-up operation on November 6, a 34-year-old caterer from Ibadan, Oyo State, Adeoye Sarafa Ojo, who came to collect the package, was arrested.
The NDLEA has been making several seizures across the country, including the interception of 46 blocks of cannabis weighing 22.2 kilograms packed in two cartons going to the United Kingdom. In Lagos, operatives arrested a 32-year-old man, Abubakar Ali, at Marine Beach area of Apapa, where drugs were recovered from a small store he built inside his sitting room. Items recovered include 1.06kg of Tramadol 250mg; 1.27kg of Tramadol 225mg; 400g of pregabalin capsules; 355g of diazepam; 200ml of codeine and 6.07kg of cannabis.
The NDLEA's operations also led to the arrest of several suspects and the seizure of large quantities of drugs across various states in Nigeria. In Ondo State, operatives recovered 148 bags of cannabis weighing 1,818 kilograms. In Ekiti State, a 53-year-old man, Agbo Paul Peter, was arrested at Osin Forest, Osin Ekiti, on November 5, 2026, with 216 kilograms of cannabis and cannabis seeds.
Key points
- The NDLEA arrested a 34-year-old Ugandan woman for attempting to smuggle 87 wraps of cocaine concealed in her private part at Lagos airport.
- The agency also made several other seizures across the country, including the interception of 750,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg and 32 parcels of Loud cannabis.
- The NDLEA's operations led to the arrest of several suspects and the seizure of large quantities of drugs across various states in Nigeria.
