NDLEA Arrests Ugandan Pilgrim with 1.15kg of Cocaine at Lagos Airport

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 34-year-old Ugandan woman, Farida Nansubuga, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, for attempting to export 87 wraps of coc@ine concealed on her body.

Nansubuga was intercepted on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at the screening point of Terminal 2 during a joint security search with aviation security personnel while attempting to board a flight back to Uganda.

A preliminary body search revealed a suspicious bulge around her pelvic region. A subsequent secondary search in a private room uncovered 87 wraps of coc@ine weighing 1.150 kilograms taped beneath two layers of her underwear.

According to preliminary statements released by the agency, Nansubuga claimed she entered Nigeria on October 29 alongside fellow church members to attend a prayer program at The Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) in Ikotun Egbe, Lagos.

While the rest of the delegation returned home after the event, she reportedly stayed behind to pick up the illicit cargo on behalf of a friend in Uganda identified as "Joy."

Nansubuga stated that Joy connected her with a local contact in Nigeria, who picked her up on the morning of her flight and drove her to a hotel, where he supplied the drvgs and instructed her on how to conceal them. She disclosed that while no fixed fee had been agreed upon, she expected to earn at least $1,000 upon successful delivery.

Reacting to the arrest, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), praised the vigilance of the MMIA officers. He cited the case as a stark reminder that drug cartels will exploit any avenue, including religious pilgrimages, to recruit drvg couriers.

Marwa charged officers across all commands to maintain the momentum in both drvg supply reduction and demand reduction operations.

In a related development, NDLEA commands across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization campaigns throughout the week.

Advocacy lectures were conducted for students and staff at several institutions, including St. Andrew Basic School in Oyo Town, Government Technical College in Abakaliki, Sa’ad College in Kano, and Inland Girls Secondary School in Onitsha.

Additionally, the NDLEA Zone 1 Command paid an advocacy visit to the Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Rilwanu Sulaiman Adamu, at his palace to strengthen community collaboration against drvg @buse.