Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have thwarted multiple attempts to traffic illicit substances through the Seme border in Lagos and the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, leading to the arrest of several suspects, including a woman who strapped a fake pregnancy to her body to conceal drugs and a Lagos-based real estate executive accused of heading a distribution network.
At the Seme Border on 16 February 2026, anti-narcotics officers intercepted 35-year-old Rabi Muhammad, described as a Kano-based entrepreneur, while she was preparing to enter Cotonou in the Benin Republic.
Although she appeared heavily pregnant, security checks raised suspicion. A detailed inspection later confirmed that the pregnancy was staged.
Officials uncovered 3,200 capsules of tramadol hidden inside a specially crafted artificial bump fastened around her abdomen. The concealment method was designed to evade routine screening at the busy land border.
On the same day, NDLEA officers at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport apprehended a 41-year-old Ivorian national, Michael Gohouri, also known as Anunwa Onyinye Michael. He was arrested during departure procedures for Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940 bound for Milan via Addis Ababa.
A body scan conducted during clearance revealed that he had ingested illicit narcotics. While under close medical supervision, the suspect expelled 82 pellets of cocaine weighing a total of 1.49 kilograms. Authorities disclosed that he had been promised a payment of €5,000 upon successful delivery of the consignment in Italy.
Preliminary investigations showed that the suspect had travelled across Lagos, Enugu and Kano before swallowing the drug consignments inside a hotel room in Kano ahead of his international trip.
In a separate but related operation, NDLEA operatives arrested Kolapo Oladapo Raji, 57, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Trans Fortress Global Resources, at his residence in the Ikate area of Lekki, Lagos, on 12 February. The arrest followed months of surveillance after he was placed on the agency’s watchlist in 2025.
A search of his home reportedly led to the recovery of four large travel bags containing 89.2 kilograms of “Canadian Loud,” a potent cannabis strain, as well as a 2024 Toyota Hilux vehicle believed to be linked to the alleged operations. Investigators say the suspect admitted to previously financing drug shipments before setting up an independent supply and distribution structure.
Beyond Lagos and Kano, the agency carried out additional enforcement actions across Rivers, Kogi, Ondo, Bauchi, Delta and Edo states. These operations resulted in the seizure of substantial quantities of skunk and tramadol. At the Port Harcourt Ports Complex in Onne, officers uncovered 170,900 bottles of codeine-based syrup during a joint inspection of a shipping container.
The Chairman and Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, praised officers involved in the coordinated crackdowns. He reiterated the agency’s resolve to intensify efforts aimed at curbing both the supply and consumption of illicit drugs nationwide, while sustaining its War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaign in schools and local communities.
Investigations into the cases are ongoing, with authorities indicating that further arrests may follow as they dismantle the networks behind the intercepted consignments.
What You Should Know
The NDLEA intercepted major drug trafficking attempts at the Seme border and Kano airport, arresting a woman who concealed 3,200 tramadol capsules in a fake pregnancy and an Ivorian man who ingested 1.49kg of cocaine.
The agency also detained a Lagos real estate executive over an alleged cannabis distribution network and seized large quantities of codeine syrup and other narcotics across several states, reinforcing its nationwide anti-drug campaign.
