A Ugandan woman who allegedly stayed behind in Nigeria after a church prayer session to collect a cocaine consignment has been arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency said its operatives arrested 34-year-old Farida Nansubuga on Tuesday, November 3, while she was preparing to board a flight to Uganda with 1.15 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in her pelvic region.
The agency said 87 wraps of the drug were strapped beneath two layers of underwear.
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According to a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, Nansubuga arrived in Nigeria on October 29 with members of her church for a prayer session at the Synagogue Church of All Nations in the Ikotun-Egbe area of Lagos.
While the other members of her delegation returned to Uganda after the programme, she allegedly remained in Nigeria to collect the consignment on behalf of a friend identified as Joy, who lives in Uganda.
Babafemi said the suspect was intercepted at Terminal 2 of the Lagos airport during a joint passenger screening exercise involving NDLEA operatives and aviation security personnel.
“She stayed back to collect the illicit consignment on behalf of a friend, simply identified as Joy, who resides in Uganda,” he said.
A preliminary investigation reportedly revealed that a contact in Nigeria arranged a vehicle to take Nansubuga to a hotel on the morning of her scheduled departure, where an unidentified man handed her the drugs.
The suspect allegedly told investigators that she was instructed to conceal the cocaine beneath her clothing to evade security screening.
She reportedly said no specific payment had been agreed, but 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 showed how drug cartels exploited religious activities and international travel to recruit couriers.
“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,” Marwa said.
He commended the officers involved and urged personnel across the agency’s commands to sustain efforts to combat drug trafficking and substance abuse.
The arrest was among several drug interceptions and operations recorded by the agency across the country.
In another operation at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives intercepted 750,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg, weighing 526 kilogrammes and valued at about N900m.
The consignment, which arrived from Ahmedabad, India, aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight on November 3, was allegedly declared as Paracetamol 500mg tablets.
Babafemi said the drugs were packed in 11 cartons concealed inside two wooden structures and were uncovered on Friday, November 6, at the airport’s import shed.
The agency also intercepted 32 parcels of Loud, weighing 16.15 kilogrammes, concealed in two wooden sofas in a cargo shipment from Houston, United States.
In a separate operation, operatives recovered 600 tablets of Tramadol 225mg hidden in female headwear in a shipment destined for the United Kingdom.
Another 46 blocks of cannabis, weighing 22.2 kilogrammes, were also intercepted in two cartons being shipped to the UK.
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