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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
A Ugandan woman who came to Nigeria with fellow worshippers for a prayer session was arrested at the Lagos airport with 87 wraps of cocaine strapped to her body as she tried to smuggle the drug out of the country.
Ms Farida Nansubuga, 34, was intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at the screening point of Terminal 2, Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, during a joint passenger screening with aviation security personnel. She was about to board a Ugandan airline flight home.
A body search revealed a suspicious item around her pelvic region. In a secondary search in a private room, officers recovered 87 wraps of cocaine with a gross weight of 1.150 kilograms, held in place beneath two layers of underwear.
In a preliminary interview, Nansubuga 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), Ikotun Egbe, Lagos.
She said that while the rest of the delegation returned to Uganda, she stayed behind to collect the consignment for a friend in Uganda, identified only as Joy.
According to her, Joy directed her to a contact in Nigeria, who arranged a vehicle to take her to a hotel on the morning of her departure.
There, she said, the man handed over the drug and told her to hide it under her clothing to beat airport security. She claimed no fee was fixed but that she expected not less than US$1,000 on successful delivery.
Other seizures at the Lagos airport
Tapentadol: On Friday, November 6, NDLEA operatives uncovered 750,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg, weighing 526 kilograms, with a street value of N900 million.
The consignment from India was declared as Paracetamol Tablets 500mg. It arrived at the airport’s import shed on Tuesday, November 3, aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Ahmedabad.
Suspicious of the declaration, officers kept the cargo under surveillance until a joint examination with the Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies on Friday. The opioids were found in ten of the eleven cartons, while only the last contained paracetamol as cover.
Loud: On Wednesday, November 4, operatives intercepted 32 parcels of Loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 16.15 kilograms, concealed in two wooden sofas in a consolidated cargo from Houston, Texas, aboard a Turkish Airlines flight.
A freight agent, Ibrahim Abdulwaheed Adewale, who came to clear the cargo, was arrested. In a follow-up operation on Friday, November 6, Adeoye Sarafa Ojo, a 34-year-old caterer from Ibadan, Oyo State, was arrested when he came to collect the package. He claimed he was sent by a friend, Taiwo Anuoluwapo Olusegun.
Synthetic cannabis chemicals: A syndicate importing chemicals used to produce Colorado, a synthetic cannabis, from the UK has been busted. Nine parcels hidden in two cartons of snacks tagged “Michael Tea Guy” arrived in a consolidated cargo aboard an Air Peace flight on Friday, October 23.
Two parcels contained 1.20kg of cannabis, while forensic analysis confirmed the other seven were chemicals for making synthetic cannabis. Afolabi Abiodun Wale, a 51-year-old freight agent who came to clear the cargo, was arrested.
Two more cartons for the same recipient later arrived aboard an Allied Air flight. A sting operation between Monday, October 26, and Wednesday, October 28, led to the arrest of Okwuite Benjamin Ojone, 51, when he took delivery of all four cartons.
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The two additional cartons held three parcels hidden in detergent packs (3.30kg) and eleven plastic bottles of mostly liquid substances (16.25kg). The total seizure stands at 1.20kg of cannabis and 28.65kg of synthetic cannabis chemicals.
On Tuesday, November 3, operatives intercepted 46 blocks of cannabis weighing 22.2 kilograms, packed in two cartons bound for the UK.
Earlier, on Friday, October 30, they intercepted 296 tablets of Swinol going to Australia, and three shipments of tramadol bound for the UK: 20 capsules from Benin City and 96 capsules from Sapele, Delta State, both hidden in vitamin C containers, and 600 tablets of Tramadol 225mg from Asaba, concealed in female headwear.
Raids and arrests across the states
Lagos: On Friday, November 6, Abubakar Ali, 32, was arrested at Marine Beach, Apapa, where a stash was recovered from a small store he built inside his apartment’s sitting room.
The haul included 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.
Ondo: On Friday, November 6, operatives raided Odofin Road, Uso, and recovered 148 bags of cannabis weighing 1,818 kilograms. Earlier that day, they destroyed a one-hectare cannabis plantation in Board Forest, recovered 242 kilograms of the drug and arrested a 36-year-old suspect, Itoro Linus Akpan.
Ekiti: Agbo Paul Peter, 53, was arrested on Thursday, November 5, at Osin Forest, Osin Ekiti, with 216 kilograms of cannabis and cannabis seeds.
Edo: On Friday, November 6, operatives intercepted a Golf saloon car loaded with 19 bags of cannabis weighing 201 kilograms along Auchi–Ibillo road, Akoko Edo LGA, and arrested the driver, Abdulmumid Isah, 39, and a passenger, Danako Godwin, 25.
Officers also raided a notorious drug joint on Ihama Road, GRA, Benin City, and arrested three suspects, Emmanuel Sunday, 25; Samuel Bala, 31; and Loveth Momodu, 20, with quantities of Colorado, Loud and cannabis.
Taraba: At the Lankaviri checkpoint, Yorro LGA, three suspects were arrested within two days with 283 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 226.255 kilograms. On Thursday, November 5, Ibrahim Abdullahi, 45, was caught with 156 blocks (149.275kg) and Kabiru Usman, 25, with 80 blocks (40.07kg). On Friday, November 6, Babangida Babayo, 32, was arrested with 47 blocks (36.91kg).
Enugu: On Tuesday, November 3, Celestine Uzochukwu Ejiakor, 57, was arrested at a checkpoint in Eke Obinagu with 44 blocks of cannabis weighing 22.5 kilograms. At the Ugwuoba checkpoint, Godwin Shaapera, 40, was arrested with 24,000 capsules of Tramadol weighing 13.4 kilograms and 697 grams of ketamine.
Delta: On Saturday, October 31, Edugua Othuke, 30, was arrested at Ozoro, Isoko North, with 10.54kg of skunk, 9.4kg of cannabis seeds and 4.3 grams of methamphetamine.
On Wednesday, November 4, Akpofure Tobore, 34, was arrested at Upper Agbarho, Ughelli, with quantities of skunk, tramadol, Rohypnol and laughing gas.
Meanwhile, NDLEA commands nationwide continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities during the week. Lectures were held for students and staff of St. Andrew Basic School, Oyo town; Government Technical College, Abakaliki, Ebonyi; Sa’ad College, Kano; and Inland Girls Secondary School, Onitsha, Anambra.
The Zone 1 Command also paid an advocacy visit to the Emir of Bauchi, HRH Alhaji Rilwanu Sulaiman Adamu, at his palace.
Commending the officers of the MMIA, Lagos, Ondo, Ekiti, Edo, Delta, Taraba and Enugu commands, the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (retd), described the Ugandan woman’s case as a sad reminder that drug cartels would stop at nothing, including exploiting faith and religious travel, to recruit couriers. He urged officers in all commands to sustain the tempo of their supply and demand reduction efforts.
