The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered a string of drug trafficking attempts stretching from border posts to airports and highbrow neighbourhoods, leading to multiple arrests across the country.
In one of the most unusual cases, a Kano-based businesswoman, Rabi Muhammed, was arrested at the Seme border while attempting to travel to Cotonou in the Benin Republic. According to the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, officers grew suspicious of what appeared to be an advanced pregnancy.
A closer inspection revealed that her protruding stomach was not a baby bump but a carefully strapped calabash designed to resemble one. Hidden inside were 3,200 capsules of tramadol. Authorities believe the drugs were meant for sale in Cotonou before wider distribution.
On the same day, operatives at Kano airport intercepted a 41-year-old Ivorian national, Michael Gohouri, also known as Anunwa Onyinye Michael, during checks for an outbound Ethiopian Airlines flight to Milan via Addis Ababa. A body scan indicated that he had swallowed illicit substances.
He was kept under medical supervision and later expelled 82 wraps of cocaine weighing a total of 1.49 kilograms. Investigators say he had travelled from Milan to Lagos in January and spent weeks moving between Lagos and Enugu before heading to Kano, where he allegedly ingested the drugs in a hotel room. He was reportedly promised 5,000 euros for delivering the consignment in Italy.
The suspect, who claims both Ivorian and Nigerian heritage, is said to have applied for asylum in Italy in 2013 and holds a valid residence permit. He also reportedly obtained a Nigerian national identification number under a different name.
Beyond the border and airport interceptions, the NDLEA said it carried out coordinated operations in Lagos, Edo, Bauchi, Ondo, Delta and Kogi states as part of a wider offensive against drug networks.
In Lagos, officers arrested Kolapo Raji, chief executive of Trans Fortress Global Resources, at his residence in Ikate, Lekki, shortly after his return from the United Kingdom. The agency disclosed that he had been on its watchlist since 2025 following intelligence reports.
A search of his apartment reportedly uncovered four large bags containing 89.20 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a potent cannabis strain. A 2024 Toyota Hilux was also seized. During questioning, Raji allegedly admitted that he entered the drug trade after financing consignments for an overseas associate and later decided to build his own distribution channel following substantial profits.
The agency also confirmed the arrest of several other suspects, including a 68-year-old grandmother believed to be linked to local drug distribution activities.
Reaffirming the agency’s position, Babafemi said efforts to disrupt narcotics supply chains will continue, with increased vigilance at Nigeria’s borders, airports and within urban centres to prevent the country from being used as a transit hub for illicit drugs.
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