Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 34-year-old South African woman Qhina Beauty with 36.65 kilograms of cocaine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos and a 62-year-old Nigerian-American grandmother Anetor Gloria Ubong with 9.45kg of high-grade cannabis loud imported from the United States.
Femi Babafemi Director of Media and Advocacy at NDLEA Headquarters Abuja disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
Babafemi said that in separate operations across the country NDLEA officers also recovered tons of illicit drugs in Kano Lagos Bauchi Niger Edo Ondo Taraba Oyo and Delta states.
He said Qhina was arrested in the departure hall of the Lagos airport on 7th October 2026 while trying to board a Qatar Airways flight to South Africa via Doha.
Babafemi said a search of her two travelling bags led to the recovery of 30 blocks of cocaine weighing 36.65kg laced with dried pepper wrapped in cellophane tape and packed into seven separate parcels.
According to the statement during her interview she told operatives she arrived in Nigeria on 30th September specifically to pick up the consignment.
Babafemi said ‘She said she was recruited by another South African lady who promised her R20000 on successful delivery. She claimed she was introduced to two other syndicate members: one based in the United States and the other a Lagos-based car dealer.
‘Investigations later led to the arrest on 14th October of the 46-year-old car dealer Uchenna Victor Umunnakwe who was intercepted at Apple Junction Ago Palace Way Lagos after days of surveillance at his Shasha residence. He admitted receiving Qhina at the airport lodging her at Santiago Hotel in Amuwo-Odofin and later moving her to Cynarisso Hotel near the airport ahead of her departure.’
Babafemi said that in another interdiction operation at the Lagos airport NDLEA officers on Wednesday 21st October arrested a 62-year-old grandmother Anetor Gloria Ubong a realtor based in Richmond Texas who holds both Nigerian and US passports.
‘She was arrested following her arrival on a United Airlines flight from Houston. A search of her two checked-in boxes uncovered 18 parcels of loud a synthetic cannabis weighing 9.45kg concealed with gift-wrapping paper in a box. She claimed her daughter and the daughter’s future brother-in-law delivered the box to her home in the US for onward delivery in Nigeria to her daughter’s fiancé Jibola.’
‘Meanwhile on Friday 23rd October operatives of a special operations unit in NDLEA arrested Eletu Rasheedat 41 at Eti Osa in Lagos where they recovered 5820 diazepam pills 780 tramadol tablets 3.7kg of skunk and 230.25 litres of skuchies.
‘In Delta a suspect Peter Ugochukwu 51 was arrested in Warri with a huge cache of pharmaceutical opioids including 29350 tramadol capsules; 6620 200mg tramadol tablets; 4116 bottles of codeine syrup; 11340 Rohypnol tablets; 3500 diazepam tablets; 300 pentazocine ampoules; 200 diazepam ampoules; and quantities of tramadol 225mg Molly and Cocodamol.
‘He was transferred along with a white Hummer bus from the Nigeria Police Force Delta State. In a separate arrest at Enhere Junction Warri a 46-year-old physically challenged woman Helen Bakporo Samson was arrested by NDLEA operatives on Monday 19th October with 6.0kg of skunk.
‘A 41-year-old suspect Fajana Dada Oluwaseyi was arrested on Monday 19th October in Adamasingba Ibadan following his initial escape from arrest. NDLEA officers had seized 197.8kg of cannabis sativa from his house on 16th September.’
Babafemi said that while a raid in the Gerawa area of Kano on Thursday 22nd October led to the arrest of Murtala Lawan 30 and the seizure of 159 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 97.2kg NDLEA officers at the Lankaviri checkpoint Yorro LGA Taraba on Friday 23rd October arrested Raiyanu Misa 39 with 95 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 60.175kg.
He said that on the same day the Nigeria Police Force handed over a suspect arrested at Dakka village Bali LGA with 112 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 81.49kg.
He said that in Niger State Emmanuel Ekene 26 was arrested by NDLEA operatives on Monday 19th October on the Sabo-Kainji road Borgu LGA with 64000 opioid pills including tramadol and diazepam while officers arrested Jamilu Mustapha (aka Last Card) 45 on Wednesday 21st October at Nasaru Town Ningi LGA Bauchi State where they seized 379kg of cannabis sativa packed in seven jumbo sacks.
‘Acting on intelligence NDLEA officers on Tuesday 20th October raided a farm at Board-Ala Akure South Ondo State and recovered 56 bags of abandoned cannabis sativa weighing 583kg. Two cannabis farms in Ugbada Forest Uzebba Owan West LGA Edo State with an estimated yield of 2023.14kg were destroyed on Sunday 18th October by NDLEA operatives who also burnt 450kg of processed cannabis at the site and took 97kg as exhibit.
‘In a related operation at Ewe community Owan West Mary Edokhai 42 was arrested with 35kg of the same psychoactive substance’ he said.
Babafemi said that with the same vigour the Agency’s commands and formations across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities in schools worship centres workplaces and communities among others over the past week.
These he said include WADA enlightenment lectures to students and staff of Oje Grammar School Ibadan Oyo State; Government Day Secondary School Kwamba Niger State; Baptist Primary School Olorunda Ogun State; Government Secondary School Yalea Kano; Community Secondary School Igogoro Enugu; Urban Girls Secondary School Onitsha Anambra; and Kelebe Community Grammar School Osogbo Osun State among others.
‘While commending the officers and men of the MMIA Kano Lagos Bauchi Niger Edo Ondo Taraba Oyo and Delta Commands for their vigilance diligence professionalism and intelligence-driven approach to the successful operations Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) urged them and their colleagues across the country to sustain the tempo of the war against drug trafficking and substance abuse’ Babafemi said.