Nigeria’s anti-narcotics agency has arrested a 43-year-old woman at Lagos airport for attempting to traffic cocaine to India, as part of a broader clampdown on illegal drug activities across the country.
The suspect, a self-described make-up artist, was apprehended by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Monday, 16 June, according to a statement released by agency spokesperson Femi Babafemi.
She was detained shortly before boarding a Qatar Airways flight en route to India via Doha. Officials, acting on a tip-off, discovered 2.20 kilogrammes of cocaine ingeniously concealed within the lining of her suitcase.
The woman, identified only as Adekoya, initially claimed to be travelling abroad for fibroid surgery. However, NDLEA agents uncovered that she was recruited and funded by a known drug trafficker, Akeem Adekanbi, who owns a hotel in Ogun State and is currently evading arrest.
Elsewhere in Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted multiple drug shipments at courier services. On 19 June, officers from the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation (DOGI) seized 1.3 kilogrammes of high-potency cannabis, commonly referred to as “loud,” hidden inside packages of sewn female clothing en route to Bahrain.
The day before, on 18 June, 850 grammes of cocaine were found hidden inside a consignment of coat hangers destined for Australia.
Alongside enforcement operations, the NDLEA intensified its nationwide education initiative, the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), with outreach programmes held in schools in Jigawa, Nasarawa, Kogi, Kano, and Enugu states. In Osun State, NDLEA officers visited the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, as part of community advocacy efforts.
NDLEA Chairman, retired Brigadier-General Buba Marwa, praised the agency’s personnel for their latest seizures and arrests, while encouraging a continued focus on both enforcement and education to address the country’s complex drug challenges.
