The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 34-year-old Ugandan woman for allegedly attempting to smuggle 1.15 kilogrammes of cocaine out of Nigeria.
The suspect, identified as Farida Nansubuga, was apprehended on November 3 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, while preparing to board a flight to Uganda.
The cocaine was allegedly concealed around her pelvic region and strapped beneath two layers of underwear.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed in a statement on Sunday that the arrest followed a joint passenger screening operation involving NDLEA operatives and aviation security personnel at Terminal 2 of the airport.
A search reportedly uncovered 87 wraps of cocaine hidden on the suspect.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Nansubuga arrived in Nigeria on October 29 alongside members of her church for a prayer programme at the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), located in the Ikotun-Egbe area of Lagos.
According to the agency, other members of the delegation had returned to Uganda after the religious gathering, but Nansubuga remained behind to collect the drug consignment allegedly arranged by a friend identified as Joy, who resides in Uganda.
The suspect reportedly told investigators that a Nigerian contact arranged transportation to a hotel on the morning of her departure, where an unidentified man handed her the cocaine and instructed her to conceal it beneath her clothes.
She was allegedly promised at least $1,000 for successfully delivering the consignment.
In another operation at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives intercepted 750,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg, weighing 526 kilogrammes and estimated to be worth N900 million.
The shipment, which arrived from Ahmedabad, India, aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight on November 3, was falsely declared as Paracetamol 500mg.
The agency said it placed the consignment under surveillance after suspecting irregularities in its declaration.
A joint examination conducted on November 6 by NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies revealed that 10 of the 11 cartons contained the opioid tablets, while only one carton contained paracetamol.
The agency also intercepted 32 parcels of a cannabis strain known as loud, weighing 16.15 kilogrammes, concealed inside two wooden sofas in a consolidated cargo shipment from Houston, United States.
The consignment arrived aboard a Turkish Airlines flight on November 4, leading to the arrest of a freight agent, Ibrahim Abdulwaheed Adewale, while attempting to clear the package.
A follow-up operation on November 6 resulted in the arrest of Adeoye Sarafa Ojo, a 34-year-old caterer from Ibadan, who allegedly came to take delivery of the consignment.
The NDLEA further disclosed that it intercepted several drug shipments destined for the United Kingdom and Australia, including 46 blocks of cannabis weighing 22.2 kilogrammes, 296 tablets of Swinol and consignments of tramadol concealed inside vitamin C containers and female headwear.
The agency also reported recovering substantial quantities of cannabis, opioids and other illicit substances during separate operations across Lagos, Ondo, Ekiti, Edo, Taraba, Enugu and Delta states.