By our Reporter
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 34-year-old Ugandan woman, Farida Nansubuga, for attempting to smuggle 1.15kg of cocaine from Nigeria to Uganda.
Nansubuga was apprehended on November 3, 2026, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, while preparing to board a flight home. Operatives reportedly discovered 87 wraps of cocaine concealed around her pelvic region beneath two layers of underwear.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the suspect arrived in Nigeria on October 29 with members of her church for a prayer session at the Synagogue Church of All Nations in Ikotun, Lagos.
However, while the other members of her delegation returned to Uganda, she stayed behind to collect the drugs for a friend identified as Joy.
“The other members of her delegation flew back to Uganda, while she stayed behind, not to pray some more, but to pick up a consignment of cocaine, which she hid in her private part in a bid to smuggle it into her country,” the agency stated.
She was reportedly intercepted during a joint screening exercise involving NDLEA officers and aviation security personnel.
Preliminary investigations shows that a Nigerian contact arranged transportation to a hotel, where an unidentified man handed her the drugs.
The suspect told investigators she was instructed to hide the cocaine beneath her clothes to evade security checks. She expected to receive at least $1,000 upon successful delivery, although no specific payment was agreed upon.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the incident as evidence of how drug cartels exploit religious activities and 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,” he said.
