The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has arrested a 34-year-old Ugandan woman, Farida Nansubuga, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 1.15kg of cocaine out of Nigeria after attending a church service in Lagos.
Nansubuga was arrested on Tuesday, November 3, during a joint passenger screening operation involving NDLEA operatives and aviation security personnel at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The agency said she was preparing to board a flight to Uganda when she was intercepted. A search led to the recovery of 87 wraps of cocaine concealed around her pelvic region and strapped beneath two layers of underwear.
According to the NDLEA, Nansubuga arrived in Nigeria on October 29 with members of her church for a prayer and spiritual renewal session at the Synagogue Church of All Nations in Ikotun-Egbe, Lagos. The agency said other members of the delegation later returned to Uganda, while Nansubuga remained in Nigeria to collect the drug consignment on behalf of a friend identified as Joy, who is based in Uganda.
During questioning, Nansubuga allegedly told investigators that Joy connected her with a contact in Nigeria. She said a man at a hotel handed her the cocaine on the morning of her departure and instructed her on how to conceal it.
The NDLEA said its investigation was ongoing. The arrest is the latest in a series of cocaine trafficking cases recorded at Nigerian airports, where suspected traffickers have been intercepted using different methods to conceal illicit drugs.
Credit: guardian.ng
