By Ghazali Ibrahim
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted two unusual drug trafficking attempts, arresting a woman who hid tablets inside a fake pregnancy bump at the Seme land border in Lagos and detaining an Ivorian man who excreted 82 wraps of cocaine after being scanned at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA).
NDLEA operatives made the discoveries during separate operations aimed at stopping illicit consignments of cocaine, tramadol and other controlled substances from being smuggled through Nigeria to other countries.
The agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, revealed the details in a statement released on Sunday.
The first case involved a 35-year-old Kano-based businesswoman, Rabi Muhammad, who was stopped on Monday, February 16, 2026, at the departure point of the Seme border crossing while attempting to travel to Cotonou in Benin Republic. Her noticeably large stomach raised suspicion among NDLEA officers.
A thorough search revealed her “pregnancy” was fake, constructed with a pink-coloured calabash strapped to her waist to conceal 3,200 capsules of tramadol, an opioid analgesic often trafficked illegally. The woman told officers she intended to sell the tramadol in Cotonou.
On the same day, NDLEA officers at MAKIA flagged 41-year-old Ivorian national Michael Gohouri (also known as Anunwa Onyinye Michael) during outbound clearance for passengers boarding an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Milan via Addis Ababa. A routine body scan indicated internal concealment of drugs.
Placed under observation following the scan, Gohouri excreted 82 wraps of cocaine weighing about 1.49 kg.
Investigators say he had stayed in Nigeria for several weeks before ingesting the contraband in a Kano hotel room, and was promised about €5,000 for delivering the shipment in Italy.
The incidents expose the increasingly creative methods drug traffickers use to evade detection.
NDLEA says its officers will continue to strengthen surveillance and screening systems at border points and airports to protect Nigeria from becoming a transit hub for illegal drugs.
The suspects are in custody as investigations proceed, and the NDLEA has called on travellers to avoid involvement in drug trafficking, warning that Nigeria’s drug laws carry severe penalties for offenders.
