By Divine Sam

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 62-year-old Nigerian-American grandmother and a 34-year-old South African woman in separate drug trafficking operations at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, recovering 36.65kg of cocaine and 9.45kg of a high-grade cannabis strain known as loud.

The agency also announced the seizure of large quantities of illicit drugs and pharmaceutical opioids in coordinated operations across several states, including Lagos, Kano, Delta, Bauchi, Niger, Edo, Ondo, Taraba and Oyo.

NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the arrests in a statement on Sunday, detailing how the suspects were apprehended and how investigations led to the arrest of other alleged members of a drug trafficking network.

Babafemi said the South African woman, identified as Qhina Beauty, was arrested at the airport’s departure hall on October 7, 2026, while preparing to board a Qatar Airways flight to South Africa through Doha.

A search of her two travel bags uncovered 30 blocks of cocaine weighing 36.65kg. The substance had reportedly been mixed with dried pepper, wrapped in cellophane tape and concealed in seven separate parcels.

During questioning, Qhina allegedly told investigators that she arrived in Nigeria on September 30 specifically to collect the drugs. She reportedly said another South African woman recruited her and promised to pay her R20,000 upon successful delivery of the consignment.

According to the agency, she also identified two other alleged members of the syndicate, one based in the United States and the other a car dealer operating in Lagos.

Further investigations reportedly led to the arrest of the car dealer, 46-year-old Uchenna Victor Umunnakwe, on October 14. He was intercepted at Apple Junction, Ago Palace Way, Lagos, following surveillance at his residence in the Shasha area.

The NDLEA spokesman said the suspect admitted receiving Qhina at the airport, arranging her accommodation at Santiago Hotel in Amuwo-Odofin and subsequently moving her to Cynarisso Hotel near the airport ahead of her planned departure.

In a separate operation at the Lagos airport on Wednesday, October 21, operatives arrested Anetor Gloria Ubong, a 62-year-old Nigerian-American grandmother and realtor based in Richmond, Texas.

Ubong, who reportedly holds Nigerian and United States passports, was apprehended after arriving on a United Airlines flight from Houston.

A search of her two checked-in boxes led to the discovery of 18 parcels of loud weighing 9.45kg. The cannabis was allegedly concealed in a box using gift-wrapping paper.

She reportedly told investigators that her daughter and the daughter’s future brother-in-law had delivered the box to her residence in the United States, asking her to bring it to Nigeria for delivery to her daughter’s fiancé, identified as Jibola.

Beyond the airport arrests, the agency reported several other successful operations targeting drug trafficking and distribution networks across the country.

In Lagos, a special operations unit arrested 41-year-old Eletu Rasheedat in the Eti-Osa area on Friday, October 23. Officers recovered 5,820 diazepam pills, 780 tramadol tablets, 3.7kg of skunk and 230.25 litres of a locally produced intoxicating mixture known as skuchies.

In Delta State, operatives arrested 51-year-old Peter Ugochukwu in Warri, recovering a substantial quantity of pharmaceutical opioids and other suspected illicit substances.

The seized items included 29,350 tramadol capsules, 6,620 tablets of tramadol 200mg, 4,116 bottles of codeine syrup, 11,340 Rohypnol tablets, 3,500 diazepam tablets, 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 200 ampoules of diazepam injection. Quantities of tramadol 225mg, Molly and Cocodamol were also recovered.

Ugochukwu was handed over to the NDLEA by the Nigeria Police Force in Delta State, alongside a white Hummer bus.

In another operation in the state, NDLEA operatives arrested 46-year-old Helen Bakporo Samson, a physically challenged woman, at Enhere Junction in Warri on Monday, October 19. She was allegedly found with 6kg of skunk.

In Oyo State, officers arrested 41-year-old Fajana Dada Oluwaseyi in the Adamasingba area of Ibadan on October 19. The agency said the suspect had earlier escaped arrest after operatives seized 197.8kg of cannabis sativa from his residence on September 16.

In Kano State, a raid conducted in the Gerawa area on Thursday, October 22, resulted in the arrest of 30-year-old Murtala Lawan and the seizure of 159 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 97.2kg.

Similarly, NDLEA operatives at the Lankaviri checkpoint in Yorro Local Government Area of Taraba State arrested 39-year-old Raiyanu Misa on Friday, October 23, with 95 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 60.175kg.

On the same day, the Nigeria Police Force handed over another suspect to the agency after an arrest at Dakka village in Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State. The suspect was reportedly found with 112 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 81.49kg.

In Niger State, 26-year-old Emmanuel Ekene was arrested on October 19 along the Sabo-Kainji Road in Borgu Local Government Area. Officers recovered 64,000 opioid pills, including tramadol and diazepam.

Meanwhile, in Bauchi State, NDLEA operatives arrested 45-year-old Jamilu Mustapha, popularly known as Last Card, at Nasaru town in Ningi Local Government Area on October 21. Seven large sacks containing 379kg of cannabis sativa were reportedly recovered during the operation.

The agency also recorded a major seizure in Ondo State after officers, acting on intelligence, raided a farm at Board-Ala in Akure South on October 20. The operation led to the recovery of 56 abandoned bags of cannabis sativa weighing 583kg.

In Edo State, operatives destroyed two cannabis farms in Ugbada Forest, Uzebba, Owan West Local Government Area, on October 18. The farms were estimated to have a potential yield of 2,023.14kg of cannabis.

During the operation, officers also destroyed 450kg of processed cannabis by burning it, while 97kg was retained as evidence. In a related operation at Ewe community in Owan West, 42-year-old Mary Edokhai was arrested with 35kg of the substance.

Beyond its enforcement activities, the NDLEA said it continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign during the week, conducting sensitisation programmes in schools, religious centres, workplaces and communities.

Among the institutions reached were Oje Grammar School in Ibadan, Oyo State; Government Day Secondary School, Kwamba, Niger State; Baptist Primary School, Olorunda, Ogun State; Government Secondary School, Yalea, Kano State; Community Secondary School, Igogoro, Enugu State; Urban Girls Secondary School, Onitsha, Anambra State; and Kelebe Community Grammar School, Osogbo, Osun State, among others.

Commending officers and personnel across the affected commands for their vigilance, professionalism and intelligence-led operations, the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), urged them to sustain the momentum in the fight against drug trafficking and substance abuse.

Marwa praised personnel of the MMIA, Kano, Lagos, Bauchi, Niger, Edo, Ondo, Taraba, Oyo and Delta commands, encouraging them and other officers nationwide to remain committed to dismantling drug trafficking networks and curbing the circulation of illicit substances.

The latest arrests and seizures underscore the agency’s continuing efforts to disrupt drug supply chains, apprehend suspected traffickers and prevent dangerous substances from reaching communities across Nigeria.