The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 34-year-old Ugandan woman at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, with 87 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.15 kilogrammes allegedly concealed around her pelvic region.
The suspect, Farida Nansubuga, was arrested on November 3 while preparing to board a flight to Uganda after allegedly collecting the drugs from a Nigerian contact.
NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi said in a statement on Sunday that the cocaine was strapped around her pelvic region beneath two layers of underwear.
According to the agency, Nansubuga arrived in Nigeria on October 29 with members of her church for a prayer session at the Synagogue Church of All Nations in Lagos.
She allegedly remained in the country after the delegation returned to Uganda to collect the consignment for a friend identified as Joy.
The suspect reportedly told investigators that a Nigerian contact delivered the drugs to her at a hotel on the morning of her departure. She was allegedly promised at least $1,000 for delivering the consignment.
In a separate operation at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives intercepted 750,000 tablets of tapentadol weighing 526 kilogrammes and valued at about ₦900 million.
The agency said the tablets were concealed in 10 of 11 cartons in a shipment from India declared as paracetamol.
The seizure was made on November 6 during a joint examination involving the Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies.
The remaining carton contained paracetamol tablets.
NDLEA operatives also seized 16.15 kilogrammes of Loud, a cannabis strain, concealed in two wooden sofas shipped from Houston, Texas. Two suspects, including a freight agent, were arrested in follow-up operations.
The agency further reported intercepting cannabis and chemicals suspected to be used in producing synthetic cannabis, commonly known as Colorado, in shipments from the United Kingdom.
In operations across several states, officers recovered cannabis, tramadol, pregabalin, diazepam, codeine and other illicit substances.
The seizures included 1,818 kilogrammes of cannabis in Ondo State, 226.255 kilogrammes in Taraba and 201 kilogrammes in Edo.
The NDLEA also intercepted illicit drugs concealed in female headwear and vitamin containers in consignments destined for the United Kingdom and Australia.
The agency’s chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers involved in the operations, saying the Ugandan woman’s arrest showed how drug cartels exploit religious travel to recruit couriers.
He urged personnel to sustain efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks and intensify public awareness campaigns against substance abuse.
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