Ugandan Woman Arrested With 87 Cocaine Wraps Hidden In Private Part At Lagos Airport

…NDLEA Seizes ₦900m Opioid Shipment Disguised As Paracetamol, Arrests Suspects In Nationwide Raids

Daud Olatunji

A 34-year-old Ugandan woman has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, after allegedly attempting to smuggle 87 wraps of cocaine concealed around her private parts to Uganda.

The suspect, identified as Farida Nansubuga, was reportedly intercepted on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, while preparing to board a Uganda-bound flight at Terminal 2 of the airport.

The NDLEA said the cocaine, weighing 1.150 kilogrammes, was strapped around her pelvic region and secured beneath two layers of underwear in an attempt to evade airport security screening.

According to the agency, the arrest followed a joint passenger screening operation involving NDLEA operatives and aviation security personnel.

A statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the suspect was flagged during the screening exercise after operatives noticed suspicious concealment around her pelvic region.

She was subsequently taken to a designated private search room, where a secondary examination led to the discovery of the 87 wraps of cocaine.

During preliminary interrogation, Nansubuga reportedly disclosed that she arrived in Nigeria on October 29 with members of her church for a spiritual renewal and prayer programme at the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), located in the Ikotun-Egbe area of Lagos.

The agency said the suspect claimed that while other members of her delegation returned to Uganda after the religious programme, she remained in Nigeria to collect a drug consignment allegedly on behalf of a friend identified simply as Joy, who resides in Uganda.

She reportedly told investigators that Joy connected her with an unidentified contact in Nigeria, who arranged transportation to a hotel on the morning of her scheduled departure.

At the hotel, the contact allegedly handed her the cocaine and instructed her to conceal it beneath her clothing to beat airport security checks.

The suspect reportedly claimed that although no definite payment was agreed upon, she expected to receive at least $1,000 after successfully delivering the consignment to Uganda.

In another major interception at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives uncovered 750,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg, weighing 526 kilogrammes and valued at approximately ₦900m.

The opioid consignment, which arrived from Ahmedabad, India, aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight on November 3, was allegedly disguised as Paracetamol 500mg tablets.

Babafemi said the shipment, packaged in 11 cartons concealed inside two wooden structures, was placed under surveillance after officers became suspicious of its declaration.

A joint examination involving NDLEA operatives, Nigeria Customs Service officials and other security agencies on Friday, November 6, revealed that 10 of the 11 cartons contained the opioid tablets, while only one carton contained genuine paracetamol.

The agency also reported the interception of 32 parcels of Loud, a potent cannabis strain, weighing 16.15 kilogrammes, concealed inside two wooden sofas imported from Houston, Texas, United States.

The consignment arrived aboard a Turkish Airlines flight on November 4.

A freight agent, identified as Ibrahim Abdulwaheed Adewale, was arrested after presenting himself to clear the shipment.