Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 34-year-old Ugandan national, Farida Nansubuga, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos, after being caught attempting to smuggle 1.150 kilograms of cocaine out of Nigeria.
The suspect, who initially traveled to Nigeria for a church pilgrimage, concealed 87 wraps of the illicit drug around her pelvic region beneath two layers of underwear before attempting to board a flight back to Uganda.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, who confirmed her arrest on Sunday, disclosed that the suspect was apprehended at Terminal 2 during a joint passenger screening exercise involving NDLEA operatives and aviation security personnel.
Trouble started for Nansubuga when routine body scanners flagged an unusual density around her lower torso. Following the initial detection, officers escorted her to a designated private search room for a thorough secondary examination.
The search revealed 87 carefully wrapped packages of cocaine strapped firmly to her body, weighing a total of 1.150 kilograms.
During preliminary interrogations, Nansubuga disclosed that she entered Nigeria on October 29, 2026, as part of a church group attending a spiritual retreat at The Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) in the Ikotun Egbe area of Lagos.
While her fellow worshippers returned home at the end of the prayer session, Nansubuga stayed behind in Lagos to pick up the narcotics on behalf of an associate in Uganda identified only as “Joy.”
According to her confession, Joy coordinated with a local Nigerian contact who picked Nansubuga up from her hotel on the morning of her scheduled departure. The contact delivered the cocaine wraps and instructed her on how to strap the package beneath her clothing to evade airport security.
Nansubuga admitted to anti-narcotics investigators that while a final fee had not been locked in, she expected to receive at least $1,000 USD upon successfully delivering the drugs in Uganda.
She remains in NDLEA custody as investigators track down her local logistics contacts in Lagos.