A 34-year-old Ugandan woman, Farida Nansubuga, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for allegedly attempting to smuggle 1.15 kilogrammes of cocaine into Uganda after concealing 87 wraps of the drug around her private part.
Nansubuga was arrested on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at the screening point of Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, while preparing to board a flight to Uganda.
The NDLEA said the suspect concealed the cocaine around her pelvic region, securing the wraps beneath two layers of underwear.
According to the agency, her arrest followed a joint passenger-screening exercise involving NDLEA operatives and aviation security personnel.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said a body search raised suspicion, prompting officers to take the suspect to a designated private search room, where the 87 wraps of cocaine, weighing 1.150 kilogrammes, were recovered.
During preliminary interrogation, Nansubuga reportedly 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), in the Ikotun-Egbe area of Lagos.
She claimed that while other members of the delegation returned to Uganda after the prayer session, she remained in Nigeria to collect a drug consignment on behalf of a friend, identified as Joy, who lives in Uganda.
According to the NDLEA, the suspect said Joy linked her with a contact in Nigeria, who arranged a vehicle to convey her to a hotel on the morning of her departure.
She allegedly told investigators that the man handed her the cocaine and instructed her to conceal it beneath her clothing to evade airport security.
Although no specific payment was agreed upon, Nansubuga reportedly said she expected to receive at least $1,000 upon successfully delivering the consignment.
In a separate operation at the Lagos airport, NDLEA 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, was falsely declared as Paracetamol tablets.
The agency said the opioid pills were discovered in 10 of the 11 cartons during a joint examination with officers of the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies on November 6.
In another interception, operatives recovered 32 parcels of Loud, weighing 16.15 kilogrammes, concealed inside two wooden sofas in a consolidated cargo from Houston, Texas, United States.
A freight agent, Ibrahim Abdulwaheed Adewale, who presented himself to clear the consignment, was arrested. A follow-up operation subsequently led to the arrest of a 34-year-old Ibadan-based caterer, Adeoye Sarafa Ojo, who allegedly came to collect the package.
The NDLEA also disclosed that it intercepted a shipment of cannabis and chemicals used in the production of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis, imported from the United Kingdom.
Several other drug seizures and arrests were recorded across Lagos, Ondo, Ekiti, Edo, Taraba, Enugu and Delta states during the week.
In Lagos, operatives recovered various illicit substances, including tramadol, pregabalin, diazepam, codeine and cannabis, from a private residence in the Marine Beach area of Apapa.
In Ondo State, 148 bags of cannabis weighing 1,818 kilogrammes were recovered during a raid on Odofin Road, Uso. Another operation at Board Forest led to the destruction of a one-hectare cannabis plantation and the recovery of 242 kilogrammes of the substance.
Reacting to the arrests and seizures, the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the Ugandan woman’s case as a disturbing example of how drug trafficking networks exploit unsuspecting individuals and religious activities to advance their criminal operations.
Marwa said the incident demonstrated the willingness of drug cartels to exploit faith and religious travel to recruit couriers for their illicit trade.
He said, “The case of the Ugandan woman is a sad reminder that drug cartels will stop at nothing, including exploiting faith and religious travel, to recruit couriers for their deadly trade.”
The NDLEA chairman commended officers of the agency’s commands in Lagos, Ondo, Ekiti, Edo, Delta, Taraba and Enugu for the arrests and seizures.
He urged officers across the country to sustain the momentum of their supply and demand reduction efforts as part of the agency’s ongoing campaign against drug trafficking and substance abuse.