Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a woman who hid illicit drugs using a fake pregnancy disguise, as well as a high-profile real estate executive accused of running an international narcotics distribution network.
In a coordinated operation on 16 February, NDLEA officers at the Seme land border in Lagos became suspicious of a 35-year-old Kano-based businesswoman, Rabi Muhammad, whose unusually large abdomen attracted attention during a routine checkpoint search.
A thorough examination revealed her apparent pregnancy was artificial, and concealed inside a fabricated bump were 3,200 tramadol capsules she intended to smuggle into Cotonou, Benin Republic, for onward sale.
At the same time, NDLEA agents at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, intercepted another suspected trafficker, a 41-year-old man identified as Michael Gohouri (also known as Anunwa Onyinye Michael), during outward clearance for a flight bound for Milan, Italy.
A body scan revealed swallowed drug pellets; under observation he later excreted 82 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.49 kg. The suspect reportedly planned to earn €5,000 upon delivering the consignment in Europe.
In a related development in Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested Kolapo Oladapo Raji, 57, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Trans Fortress Global Resources, at his residence in Ikate-Lekki.
Raji, alleged to have been under agency surveillance since 2025 — was linked to a broader narcotics supply chain.
A search of his property reportedly yielded 89.2 kg of “Canadian Loud” cannabis and a Toyota Hilux believed used in trafficking operations.
Beyond these key arrests, NDLEA said that further operations across Lagos, Rivers, Kogi, Ondo, Bauchi, Delta and Edo states resulted in seizures of large quantities of skunk cannabis, tramadol and 170,900 bottles of codeine-based syrup during a joint examination of a container at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne.
NDLEA’s Chairman and Chief Executive, Mohamed Buba Marwa, praised officers for disrupting the trafficking plots and underscored the agency’s commitment to intensifying efforts to suppress drug supply and addiction across Nigeria.
