NDLEA Arrests Ugandan Woman With 1.15kg Cocaine at Lagos Airport

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 34-year-old Ugandan woman, Farida Nansubuga, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 1.15 kilogrammes of cocaine from Nigeria to Uganda.

Nansubuga was arrested on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, while preparing to board a flight to Uganda.

The agency said 87 wraps of cocaine were recovered from her pelvic region, where they had been concealed beneath two layers of underwear.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the suspect arrived in Nigeria on October 29 with members of her church for a prayer session at the Synagogue Church of All Nations in the Ikotun-Egbe area of Lagos State.

Babafemi said the other members of her delegation returned to Uganda after the prayer session, but Nansubuga allegedly remained behind to collect the cocaine on behalf of a friend identified as Joy, who resides in Uganda.

She was intercepted during a joint passenger screening exercise involving NDLEA operatives and aviation security personnel at Terminal 2 of the airport.

Preliminary investigations reportedly revealed that a contact in Nigeria arranged a vehicle to convey her to a hotel on the morning of her departure, where an unidentified man handed over the drugs.

The suspect allegedly told investigators that she was instructed to conceal the cocaine beneath her clothing to evade security screening.

She reportedly expected to receive at least $1,000 after successfully delivering the consignment in Uganda, although no specific payment had been agreed upon.

Reacting to the arrest, the NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the incident as evidence of how drug cartels exploit religious activities and international travel to recruit couriers.

Marwa commended the officers involved in the operation and urged personnel across the agency's commands to sustain efforts to combat drug trafficking and substance abuse.

Meanwhile, the agency announced other drug interceptions across the country, including the seizure of 750,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg, weighing 526 kilogrammes and valued at approximately N900m, at the Lagos airport.

Babafemi said the consignment arrived from Ahmedabad, India, aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight on November 3 and was falsely declared as Paracetamol 500mg tablets.

In another operation, NDLEA operatives intercepted 32 parcels of Loud, weighing 16.15 kilogrammes, concealed inside two wooden sofas in a cargo shipment from Houston, United States.

The agency also recovered 600 tablets of Tramadol 225mg hidden inside female headwear in a shipment destined for the United Kingdom.

Additionally, operatives intercepted 46 blocks of cannabis weighing 22.2 kilogrammes concealed in two cartons being shipped to the UK.

The NDLEA said the seizures formed part of its ongoing operations to dismantle drug trafficking networks and prevent the distribution of illicit substances in Nigeria and beyond.