A 34-year-old Ugandan woman who travelled to Nigeria with members of her church for a prayer session in Lagos has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) while allegedly attempting to smuggle 1.15 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed around her pelvic region back to Uganda.
The suspect, identified as Farida Nansubuga, was arrested on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, while preparing to board a flight to her home country.
According to the statement issued on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Nansubuga had arrived in Nigeria on October 29 with members of her church for a spiritual exercise at the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), located in the Ikotun-Egbe area of Lagos.
However, while the other members of her delegation returned to Uganda after the prayer session, she allegedly remained behind to collect a cocaine consignment for a friend identified only as Joy, who lives in Uganda.
The agency said she was intercepted during a joint passenger-screening operation involving NDLEA operatives and aviation security personnel at Terminal 2 of the airport.
A body search reportedly revealed suspicious material concealed around her pelvic region, prompting officers to move her to a designated private search room for further examination.
The search led to the recovery of 87 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.15 kilograms, which had been strapped around her pelvic region and secured beneath two layers of underwear.
During preliminary interrogation, Nansubuga reportedly told investigators that her friend, Joy, had connected her with a contact in Nigeria who arranged transportation to a hotel on the morning of her departure.
She alleged that the unidentified man handed her the cocaine at the hotel and instructed her to conceal it beneath her clothes to evade airport security.
The suspect reportedly said she had no fixed payment agreement for the operation but expected to receive at least $1,000 upon successfully delivering the drugs in Uganda.
The NDLEA said the arrest was part of a series of nationwide operations that also uncovered large consignments of illicit drugs, including hundreds of thousands of opioid tablets, cannabis, tramadol and chemicals used in the production of synthetic cannabis.
In another major seizure at the Lagos airport, operatives intercepted 750,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg, weighing 526 kilogrammes and valued at about N900 million.
The consignment, which arrived from Ahmedabad, India, aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight on November 3, had been falsely declared as Paracetamol 500mg tablets.
The agency said the drugs were concealed in 10 of 11 cartons packed inside two wooden structures, with the remaining carton containing paracetamol tablets allegedly used as cover.
NDLEA operatives also intercepted 32 parcels of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis weighing 16.15 kilogrammes, concealed inside two wooden sofas imported from Houston, Texas, United States.
A freight agent, Ibrahim Abdulwaheed Adewale, was arrested after presenting himself to clear the consignment, while a 34-year-old caterer from Ibadan, Oyo State, Adeoye Sarafa Ojo, was subsequently arrested when he arrived to collect the package.
Ojo reportedly told investigators that he had been sent by a friend, Taiwo Anuoluwapo Olusegun.
In a separate operation, the agency dismantled a suspected drug-importation syndicate allegedly involved in bringing chemicals used in the production of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis, into Nigeria 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 on October 23.
Two of the parcels contained 1.20 kilogrammes of cannabis, while forensic examination confirmed that the remaining seven contained chemicals used in manufacturing synthetic cannabis.
A 51-year-old freight agent, Afolabi Abiodun Wale, was arrested when he attempted to clear the consignment.
Two additional cartons 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 attempted to take delivery of the packages.
The additional consignments contained three parcels weighing 3.30 kilogrammes concealed in detergent packs and 11 plastic bottles containing mostly liquid substances weighing 16.25 kilogrammes.
The NDLEA said the total seizure from the operation comprised 1.20 kilogrammes of cannabis and 28.65 kilogrammes of chemicals allegedly intended for synthetic cannabis production.
At courier companies in Lagos, operatives also intercepted 46 blocks of cannabis weighing 22.2 kilogrammes in two cartons destined for the United Kingdom on November 3.
Earlier, on October 30, the agency intercepted 296 tablets of Swinol heading to Australia and three separate shipments of tramadol destined for the UK.
The tramadol consignments included 20 capsules from Benin City and 96 capsules from Sapele, Delta State, concealed inside vitamin C containers, as well as 600 tablets of Tramadol 225mg from Asaba hidden inside female headwear.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives arrested a 32-year-old man, Abubakar Ali, at Marine Beach, Apapa, Lagos, on November 6 after discovering a drug storage facility he allegedly constructed inside the sitting room of his apartment.
Items recovered from the apartment included 1.06 kilogrammes of Tramadol 250mg, 1.27 kilogrammes of Tramadol 225mg, 400 grammes of pregabalin capsules, 355 grammes of diazepam, 200 millilitres of codeine and 6.07 kilogrammes of cannabis.
In Ondo State, operatives raided Odofin Road, Uso, on November 6, recovering 148 bags of cannabis weighing 1,818 kilogrammes.
On the same day, officers raided a cannabis farm in Board Forest, destroyed a one-hectare plantation and recovered another 242 kilogrammes of the substance. A 36-year-old suspect, Itoro Linus Akpan, was arrested.
In neighbouring Ekiti State, a 53-year-old man, Agbo Paul Peter, was arrested at Osin Forest, Osin-Ekiti, on November 5, with 216 kilogrammes of cannabis and cannabis seeds.
In Edo State, operatives intercepted a Volkswagen Golf car loaded with 19 bags of cannabis weighing 201 kilogrammes along the Auchi-Igbillo Road in Akoko Edo Local Government Area.
The driver, 39-year-old Abdulmumid Isah, and his 25-year-old passenger, Danako Godwin, were arrested.
Three other suspects were arrested during a raid on a suspected drug joint along Ihama Road, GRA, Benin City. They were identified as Emmanuel Sunday, 25; Samuel Bala, 31; and Loveth Momodu, 20. Quantities of Colorado, Loud and cannabis were recovered.
