The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Sunday said it arrested a 34-year-old Ugandan woman at Lagos’s main international airport after finding 87 wraps of cocaine concealed around her pelvic region.
The latest case further reveals the persistent use of air travelers to move illicit drugs across West African borders.
The anti-narcotics agency said Farida Nansubuga was intercepted on November 3 at Terminal 2 of Murtala Muhammed International Airport as she prepared to board a flight to Uganda.
A subsequent search recovered 1.15 kilograms of cocaine, according to the agency.
Ms. Nansubuga told investigators she arrived in Nigeria on October 29 with members of her church for a prayer program at The Synagogue Church of All Nations in Lagos, the agency said.
She alleged that after the rest of the delegation returned to Uganda, she remained to collect the drugs for a Ugandan acquaintance identified only as Joy.
Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s Director of Media in a statement said, a Nigerian contact arranged transportation to a hotel, where a man handed her the cocaine and instructed her to conceal it beneath her clothing.
Ms. Nansubuga said no fee had been agreed, but that she expected at least $1,000 for a successful delivery. The allegations have not been tested in court.
The arrest came amid a series of interdictions at the Lagos airport.
On November 6, NDLEA officers said they found 750,000 Tapentadol tablets – weighing 526 kilograms and valued by the agency at 900 million naira, inside a shipment from India falsely declared as paracetamol.
NDLEA also said they recovered 16.15 kilograms of cannabis, known locally as “Loud,” concealed in two wooden sofas in cargo arriving from Houston.
A freight agent who came to clear the shipment was detained, and authorities later arrested a 34-year-old man who arrived to collect it.
The agency said its operations extended beyond Lagos.
In Ondo state, officers reported seizing 1,818 kilograms of cannabis and destroying a one-hectare cannabis plantation.
In Edo, Taraba, Ekiti, Enugu and Delta states, NDLEA personnel said they made additional seizures of cannabis, tramadol, ketamine, methamphetamine and other controlled substances.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Mohamed Buba Marwa said the Ugandan woman’s case showed that trafficking networks would exploit religious travel and faith-based gatherings to recruit couriers.
He urged officers to maintain pressure on both drug supply chains and demand.
