The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has thwarted a desperate attempt by a woman, Ihensekhien Miracle Obehi, who disguised herself with a hijab to export large consignments of cocaine concealed in her private parts, stomach, and the false bottom of her handbag to Iran via Port Harcourt International Airport, Rivers State.
Obehi, dressed in a hijab in an attempt to evade security checks, was intercepted at the departure hall of Port Harcourt airport on 3rd May 2025 while trying to board a Qatar Airways flight to Iran via Doha, following credible intelligence.
A statement released on Sunday by NDLEA spokesman, Mr Femi Babafemi, revealed that, during a search, she was found to have inserted three wraps of cocaine in her private parts, while two large parcels were hidden in false compartments of her handbag. Additionally, she had swallowed 67 pellets of the Class A drug.
As a result, she was placed under excretion observation, and after four rounds of excretion spanning several days, she expelled the 67 wraps of cocaine from her stomach. She claimed she had intended to swallow 70 pellets but, after ingesting 67, was unable to consume the remaining three and opted to conceal them in her private parts. The total weight of the three consignments hidden in different parts of her body was 2.523 kilograms.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives at Lagos International Airport intercepted a 22-year-old British national, Campell Kaizra Kofi Johannes Slifer, on 9th May while arriving from Thailand via Doha on a Qatar Airways flight. He was found in possession of two suitcases containing 35 parcels of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis weighing 37.60kg.
Campell, who claimed he had twice been convicted in the UK for drug trafficking and robbery, said he was recruited in London to travel to Thailand, collect the illicit consignment, and transport it to Nigeria.
In Niger State, NDLEA officers, acting on intelligence, intercepted a fuel truck marked ABJ 693 XU and three other vehicles loaded with 246 bags of skunk—a strain of cannabis—along Suleja-Kaduna Road on 7th May. The total combined weight of the drugs was 3,047 kilograms.
Four suspects were arrested in connection with the exhibits, including Christopher Onyema, Benedict Etineruba Young, Chukwudi Ujue Jerry, and Mohammed Abdullahi Danasabe. Apart from the fuel truck, three other vehicles recovered from the suspects included a Honda Odyssey bus marked YAB 667 CZ, a Gulf bus with registration number GWA 125 TQ, and another Honda Odyssey bus marked ABJ 230 CN.
At Oja Amukoko in the Ijora area of Lagos, two suspects, Eze Chekube Emmanuel and Ike Samuel Chinyerem, were arrested on Thursday by NDLEA operatives. A total of 109,914 pills of tramadol, swinol, and nitrozepam were seized from them.
Meanwhile, 52.5kg of skunk was recovered from two suspects, Lukman Sabo Umar and Tukur Ammadu, inside a bus in Gwantu, Sanga LGA, Kaduna State, on 6th May. Additionally, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Bode Saadu-Jebba Expressway, Kwara State, arrested Rufai Nasiru on 5th May in possession of 45,400 pills of tramadol (225mg).
In Bauchi State, NDLEA officers patrolling the Bauchi-Gombe road on 6th May intercepted a Toyota Tundra jeep marked RBC 111 DW carrying 526 blocks of skunk weighing 505kg. Two suspects, Isaac Onogure and Ikechukwu Peter, were arrested.
Furthermore, NDLEA operatives raided a hideout in the Rijiyar Zaki area of Kano on Saturday, recovering a total of 31 kegs containing 775 litres of codeine syrup. Two suspects, Hafizu Isa Uman and Ismail Shehu, were arrested. Meanwhile, on 6th May, NDLEA officers at a courier company in Lagos intercepted 1.1kg of Loud concealed inside a pillow, originating from Thailand.
The statement noted that the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities by NDLEA Commands had continued across the country throughout the past week.
While commending the officers and personnel of various NDLEA Commands for their efforts in arrests and seizures, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Marwa (Rtd), also praised their counterparts across the country for maintaining a balanced approach between drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
