Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 34-year-old Ugandan woman, Farida Nansubuga, for allegedly attempting to transport 1.15 kilogrammes of cocaine from Nigeria to Uganda.
Nansubuga was apprehended on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, while preparing to board a flight to her home country.
The agency disclosed that 87 wraps of cocaine were discovered strapped around her pelvic region and concealed beneath two layers of underwear.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the suspect had travelled to Nigeria on October 29 with members of her church to attend a prayer programme at the Synagogue Church of All Nations in the Ikotun-Egbe area of Lagos State.
However, while the other members of her delegation returned to Uganda after the religious programme, Nansubuga allegedly remained in Nigeria to receive a drug consignment for a friend identified as Joy, who lives in Uganda.
Babafemi explained that the suspect was arrested during a passenger screening operation jointly conducted by NDLEA officers and aviation security personnel at Terminal 2 of the Lagos airport.
He said the woman had concealed the cocaine around her private parts in an attempt to avoid detection by security officials.
“She came to Nigeria with members of her church for spiritual renewal at a prayer session in Lagos. But when it was time to go home, 34-year-old Ugandan, Ms Farida Nansubuga, chose a different path. While the rest of her delegation flew back to Uganda, she stayed behind, not to pray some more, but to pick up a consignment of cocaine, which she hid in her private part in a bid to smuggle it into her country.
“Her plan, however, came crashing down at the MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, 3rd November 2026, when operatives of the NDLEA intercepted her at the screening point of Terminal 2 during a joint passenger screening exercise with aviation security personnel. She was due to board a Ugandan airline flight to her home country,” the statement partly read.
The agency further disclosed that preliminary investigations indicated that a contact in Nigeria had arranged transportation for Nansubuga to a hotel on the morning of her scheduled departure.
At the hotel, an unidentified man allegedly handed over the cocaine to her before she proceeded to the airport.
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Babafemi said the suspect told investigators that she had been instructed to hide the drugs underneath her clothes to escape security checks.
He quoted her as saying that she travelled to Nigeria with her church members on October 29 for a prayer session at the Synagogue Church of All Nations.
“During preliminary interview, the suspect said she arrived in Nigeria on 29th October 2026 with members of her church for a prayer session at The Synagogue Church of All Nations, Ikotun Egbe area of Lagos. She claimed that after the prayer session, the other members of her delegation returned to Uganda while she stayed back to collect the illicit consignment on behalf of a friend, simply identified as Joy, who resides in Uganda.”
The suspect reportedly told investigators that although no specific payment had been agreed upon, she expected to receive at least $1,000 after successfully delivering the drugs in Uganda.
Reacting to the arrest, NDLEA Chairman, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), said the incident demonstrated how drug trafficking networks exploit religious activities and international travel to recruit couriers.
He commended the officers involved in the operation and called on personnel across the agency’s commands to maintain their efforts against drug trafficking and substance abuse.
“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. I urge officers across all commands to sustain the tempo of their supply and demand reduction efforts,” Marwa said.
The agency also reported several other drug interceptions and arrests during operations across the country.
At the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives intercepted 750,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg, weighing 526 kilogrammes and estimated to be worth N900m.
The consignment, which arrived from India aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight, had allegedly been falsely declared as Paracetamol 500mg tablets.
Babafemi disclosed that the shipment comprised 11 cartons packed inside two wooden structures. It arrived at the airport’s import shed on Tuesday, November 3, from Ahmedabad, India, before being intercepted on Friday, November 6.
He said, “In another interception at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives on Friday, 6th November uncovered 750,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg, weighing 526 kilograms with a street value of N900 million, in a consignment from India declared as Paracetamol Tablets 500mg. The consignment, made up of eleven cartons packed in two wooden structures, arrived at the import shed of the airport on Tuesday 3rd November aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Ahmedabad, India.”
In another operation, officers recovered 32 parcels of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, weighing 16.15 kilogrammes. The drugs were reportedly concealed inside two wooden sofas in a cargo shipment originating from Houston, United States.
The agency also intercepted 600 tablets of Tramadol 225mg hidden inside female headwear in a shipment destined for the United Kingdom.
Additionally, operatives recovered 46 blocks of cannabis weighing 22.2 kilogrammes from two cartons being transported to the UK.
The latest operations highlight the various methods allegedly employed by drug traffickers to move prohibited substances across international borders, including concealing them in imported furniture, clothing accessories and other everyday items.
Footage released by the agency showed officers dismantling large cardboard packages containing sofas. After removing the outer coverings, foam and internal padding, they uncovered several sealed packages of suspected illicit drugs hidden inside the furniture.