NDLEA Arrests Woman Concealing Cocaine in Private Parts as Drug Interception Operations Sweep Across Nigeria

In a week marked by sweeping anti-drug operations across the country, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested Ihensekhien Miracle Obehi, a woman who attempted to smuggle cocaine to Iran using a bizarre and dangerous concealment method involving her private parts, stomach, and handbag. The arrest was made at the Port Harcourt International Airport on Sunday, May 3, 2025, following credible intelligence.

In a statement released on Sunday, May 11, 2025, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi detailed the incident, revealing that Obehi was disguised in a hijab and attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Iran via Doha when operatives intercepted her at the departure hall.

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Obehi Concealed Drugs in Body Cavities and Swallowed Pellets

According to the NDLEA, the arrest uncovered one of the most desperate attempts to traffic drugs. Obehi had inserted three wraps of cocaine in her private part, hidden two large parcels in a false bottom of her handbag, and swallowed 67 pellets of the banned substance. She confessed that she had intended to swallow 70 pellets but could only ingest 67, resorting to inserting the remaining three due to discomfort.

She was placed under excretion observation, and over the course of four days, she expelled the 67 ingested pellets. In total, the drugs she attempted to smuggle weighed 2.523 kilograms, all categorized as Class A narcotics.

British Drug Courier Arrested in Lagos with Cannabis “Loud”

In another significant bust, NDLEA operatives at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, intercepted a 22-year-old British national, Campell Kaizra Kofi Johannes Slifer, also on May 3. Slifer arrived from Thailand via Doha on a Qatar Airways flight with two suitcases containing 35 parcels of “Loud”, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 37.60 kilograms.

Authorities revealed that Slifer, who has a criminal history in the UK involving drug trafficking and robbery, confessed during interrogation that he was recruited in London and tasked with collecting the drugs in Thailand before delivering them to contacts in Nigeria.

Massive Skunk Haul Intercepted in Niger State

Meanwhile, in Niger State, NDLEA officers acting on intelligence on Wednesday, May 7, intercepted a fuel tanker and three other vehicles along the Suleja-Kaduna road, loaded with 246 bags of skunk weighing a combined 3,047 kilograms.

Four suspects were arrested:

• Christopher Onyema, 47
• Benedict Etineruba Young, 54
• Chukwudi Ujue Jerry, 30
• Mohammed Abdullahi Danasabe

Vehicles seized included:

• A fuel truck (ABJ 693 XU)
• A Honda Odyssey bus (YAB 667 CZ)
• A Gulf bus (GWA 125 TQ)
• Another Honda Odyssey (ABJ 230 CN)

Widespread Seizures Across Lagos, Kaduna, Kwara, Bauchi, and Kano

The NDLEA’s operations extended across multiple states during the week:

• In Lagos, two suspects, Eze Chekube Emmanuel and Ike Samuel Chinyerem, were arrested in the Ijora area with 109,914 pills of tramadol, swinol, and nitrazepam.
• In Kaduna, on May 6, 52.5kg of skunk was recovered from two suspects: Lukman Sabo Umar, 23, and Tukur Ammadu, 20.
• In Kwara State, on May 5, officers patrolling the Bode Saadu–Jebba expressway arrested Rufai Nasiru with 45,400 pills of 225mg tramadol.
• In Bauchi State, NDLEA intercepted a Toyota Tundra jeep with registration RBC 111 DW along the Bauchi-Gombe road, seizing 526 blocks of skunk weighing 505kg. Two suspects, Isaac Onogure, 37, and Ikechukwu Peter, 44, were taken into custody.
• In Kano, a raid on a hideout in Rijiyar Zaki led to the arrest of Hafizu Isa Uman, 34, and Ismail Shehu, 48, with 31 kegs containing 775 litres of codeine syrup.
• NDLEA officers at a courier company in Lagos also intercepted 1.1kg of Loud concealed in a pillow shipment from Thailand.

NDLEA Chairman Commends Nationwide Effort

Reacting to the week’s successes, NDLEA Chairman/CEO, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended operatives from PHIA, MMIA, Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Bauchi, Kwara, and Niger Commands, as well as officers in the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations (DOGI).

He praised their relentless pursuit of both drug supply reduction and demand reduction, calling the operations a balanced and aggressive approach to breaking the cycle of narcotics across the country.

With such coordinated actions, the NDLEA continues to raise the bar in tackling Nigeria’s multi-faceted drug trafficking problem, ensuring those who traffic, smuggle, or distribute illicit substances face the full weight of the law.