What began as a spiritual journey to Nigeria ended in a drug trafficking scandal for a 34-year-old Ugandan woman, Ms Farida Nansubuga, who allegedly traded the solemn purpose of her church visit for a dangerous cocaine mission.
Nansubuga had arrived in Nigeria on October 29, 2026, alongside members of her church for a prayer programme at The Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Ikotun-Egbe, Lagos State. But while the rest of the delegation returned to Uganda after the religious exercise, she reportedly chose to stay behind for what would turn out to be a costly decision.
Rather than continue her spiritual engagement, the woman allegedly remained in Nigeria to collect a consignment of cocaine for delivery to her home country, acting on the instructions of a friend identified simply as Joy, who resides in Uganda.
Her journey back home on Tuesday, November 3, however, came to an abrupt end at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, where operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) intercepted her during a passenger screening exercise at Terminal 2.
The agency said the operatives, working alongside aviation security personnel, became suspicious during the screening and conducted a preliminary body search, which indicated that she had a substance concealed around her pelvic region.
She was subsequently taken to a designated private search room, where a more thorough examination exposed the unusual method she allegedly adopted to beat airport security: 87 wraps of cocaine, weighing 1.15 kilogrammes, strapped around her pelvic region and held in place beneath two layers of underwear.
During preliminary interrogation, Nansubuga reportedly told investigators that her friend, Joy, had linked her with a contact in Nigeria who arranged a vehicle to convey her to a hotel on the morning of her scheduled departure.
It was at the hotel, she claimed, that the man handed over the cocaine and instructed her to conceal it beneath her clothing for onward transportation to Uganda. Although no specific payment was agreed upon, she reportedly expected to receive at least $1,000 after successfully delivering the consignment.
The arrest was one of several major drug interceptions recorded by the NDLEA in different parts of the country, including the seizure of hundreds of thousands of opioid tablets, cannabis and other illicit substances.
In another operation at the Lagos airport, operatives intercepted 750,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg, weighing 526 kilogrammes and valued at about N900 million, in a consignment imported from India.
The drugs arrived at the airport’s import shed on November 3 aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Ahmedabad and were declared as Paracetamol 500mg. However, following suspicion about the declaration, NDLEA officers placed the consignment under surveillance before conducting a joint examination with the Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies on November 6.
The examination revealed that 10 of the 11 cartons contained the opioid tablets, while only one carton contained paracetamol tablets apparently intended to serve as cover.
Also at the airport, operatives intercepted 32 parcels of Loud, a strain of cannabis 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 came forward to clear the consignment, was arrested.
In a follow-up operation on November 6, a 34-year-old caterer from Ibadan, Oyo State, Adeoye Sarafa Ojo, was arrested while attempting to collect the package. He allegedly claimed that he was sent by a friend, Taiwo Anuoluwapo Olusegun.
In another major breakthrough, the agency dismantled a syndicate allegedly involved in importing chemicals used in the production of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis, from the United Kingdom.
The operation followed the interception of nine parcels of illicit substances concealed in two cartons of snacks bearing the inscription “Michael Tea Guy” in a consolidated cargo that arrived aboard an Air Peace flight from the UK on October 23.
Two of the parcels contained 1.20 kilogrammes of cannabis, while forensic analysis confirmed that the remaining seven contained chemicals used in producing synthetic cannabis.
A 51-year-old freight agent, Afolabi Abiodun Wale, who attempted to clear the consignment, was arrested. Two additional cartons for the same recipient subsequently arrived from the UK aboard an Allied Air flight, prompting a sting operation between October 26 and 28, during which Okwuite Benjamin Ojone, 51, was arrested while taking delivery of the packages.
A search of the additional cartons uncovered three parcels weighing 3.30 kilogrammes concealed in two packs of detergent, alongside 11 plastic bottles containing mostly liquid substances weighing 16.25 kilogrammes. The total seizure from the operation amounted to 1.20 kilogrammes of cannabis and 28.65 kilogrammes of synthetic cannabis chemicals.
At courier companies in Lagos, operatives also intercepted 46 blocks of cannabis weighing 22.2 kilogrammes destined for the United Kingdom on November 3.
Earlier, on October 30, they intercepted 296 tablets of Swinol bound for Australia, as well as three shipments of tramadol destined for the UK. The consignments included 20 capsules from Benin City and 96 capsules from Sapele, Delta State, concealed in vitamin C containers, as well as 600 tablets of Tramadol 225mg from Asaba hidden in female headwear.
In Lagos, a 32-year-old man, Abubakar Ali, was arrested on November 6 at Marine Beach, Apapa, where operatives recovered a large stash of drugs from a small store he allegedly constructed inside his sitting room. The items 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.
Across other states, the agency recorded substantial seizures and arrests. In Ondo State, operatives recovered 148 bags of cannabis weighing 1,818 kilogrammes along Odofin Road, Uso, while another operation at Board Forest led to the destruction of a one-hectare cannabis plantation and the recovery of 242 kilogrammes of the drug. 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, with 216 kilogrammes of cannabis and cannabis seeds.
In Edo State, operatives intercepted a Golf saloon car loaded with 19 bags of cannabis weighing 201 kilogrammes along the Auchi-Ibillo Road in Akoko Edo Local Government Area. The driver, Abdulmumid Isah, 39, and a passenger, Danako Godwin, 25, were arrested.
Three other suspects were arrested during a raid on a notorious 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.
In Taraba State, three suspects were arrested within two days at the NDLEA checkpoint in Lankaviri, Yorro Local Government Area, with 283 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 226.255 kilogrammes.
The arrests included Ibrahim Abdullahi, 45, and Kabiru Usman, 25, who were apprehended on November 5 with 156 blocks weighing 149.275 kilogrammes and 80 blocks weighing 40.07 kilogrammes respectively. Another suspect, Babangida Babayo, 32, was arrested the following day with 47 blocks weighing 36.91 kilogrammes.
In Enugu State, a 57-year-old man, Celestine Uzochukwu Ejiakor, was arrested at Eke Obinagu checkpoint with 44 blocks of cannabis weighing 22.5 kilogrammes. At the Ugwuoba checkpoint, another suspect, Godwin Shaapera, 40, was arrested with 24,000 capsules of Tramadol weighing 13.4 kilogrammes and 697 grammes of ketamine.
Delta State also recorded two arrests. Edugua Othuke, 30, was apprehended at Ozoro, Isoko North, with 10.54 kilogrammes of skunk, 9.4 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds and 4.3 grammes of methamphetamine on October 31. Another suspect, Akpofure Tobore, 34, was arrested at Upper Agbarho, Ughelli, on November 4 with quantities of skunk, tramadol, rohypnol and laughing gas.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities across the country.
Among the activities conducted during the week were enlightenment lectures at St. Andrew Basic School, Oyo town, Oyo State; Government Technical College, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State; Sa’ad College, Kano; and Inland Girls Secondary School, Onitsha, Anambra State.
The agency’s Zone 1 Command also paid an advocacy visit to the Emir of Bauchi, HRH Alhaji Rilwanu Sulaiman Adamu, at his palace in Bauchi.
Commending officers and personnel of the various commands involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the arrest of the Ugandan woman as a sad reminder that drug cartels would stop at nothing, including exploiting faith and religious travel, to recruit couriers for their illicit trade.
He urged officers across the country to sustain the tempo of their operations and intensify efforts towards reducing both the supply of and demand for illicit drugs.
