Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a female drug trafficker, Ihensekhien Miracle Obehi, who concealed three wraps of cocaine in her private part, 67 wraps in her stomach, and two large parcels in a false compartment of her handbag, in a foiled bid to smuggle the drugs to Iran.
This was disclosed in a press statement issued on Sunday, 11th May 2025 by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, who said the 2.523kg drug haul was intercepted at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Rivers State, on Sunday, 3rd May, as the suspect attempted to board a Qatar Airways flight to Iran via Doha.
According to the statement, Obehi was dressed in a hijab in a bid to evade scrutiny but was intercepted following credible intelligence. During search, three wraps of cocaine were found hidden in her private part, two parcels were recovered from a false compartment in her handbag, while a scan and observation revealed she had swallowed 67 wraps of the hard drug.
She was immediately placed under excretion observation and eventually expelled all 67 pellets. Obehi later confessed she had been instructed to swallow 70 wraps but could only ingest 67. When she could not swallow the remaining three due to lack of space in her stomach, she decided to insert them into her private part.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, on Friday 9th May, arrested a 22-year-old British national, Campell Kaizra Kofi Johannes Slifer, who arrived from Thailand via Doha aboard Qatar Airways with two suitcases containing 35 parcels of “Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 37.60kg.
Babafemi said the suspect admitted to having been convicted twice in the United Kingdom for drug trafficking and robbery. He revealed he was recruited in London and sent to Thailand to pick the illicit consignment and deliver it in Nigeria.
In another massive seizure, NDLEA operatives in Niger State intercepted a fuel tanker with registration number ABJ 693 XU and three other vehicles conveying a total of 246 bags of skunk, weighing 3,047 kilograms. The vehicles were intercepted along the Suleja–Kaduna road on Wednesday, 7th May, leading to the arrest of four suspects: Christopher Onyema (47), Benedict Etineruba Young (54), Chukwudi Ujue Jerry (30), and Mohammed Abdullahi Danasabe.
The recovered vehicles include a Honda Odyssey (YAB 667 CZ), a Gulf bus (GWA 125 TQ), and another Honda Odyssey (ABJ 230 CN), all loaded with the illicit substance.
In Lagos State, NDLEA officers raided Oja Amukoko in the Ijora area on Thursday, 8th May, arresting two suspects — Eze Chekube Emmanuel and Ike Samuel Chinyerem — and seizing 109,914 pills of tramadol, swinol, and nitrazepam.
Also, in Kaduna State, two suspects — Lukman Sabo Umar (23) and Tukur Ammadu (20) — were arrested in Gwantu, Sanga LGA, with 52.5kg of skunk recovered from a commercial bus on Tuesday, 6th May. In Kwara State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Bode Saadu–Jebba expressway intercepted one Rufai Nasiru on Monday, 5th May, with 45,400 pills of tramadol 225mg.
Similarly, NDLEA personnel in Bauchi State intercepted a Toyota Tundra truck marked RBC 111 DW along Bauchi–Gombe road on Tuesday, 6th May. The truck was loaded with 526 blocks of skunk weighing 505kg, leading to the arrest of two suspects: Isaac Onogure (37) and
In Kano State, 31 kegs containing 775 litres of codeine syrup were recovered from two suspects — Hafizu Isa Uman (34) and Ismail Shehu (48) — during a raid at Rijiyar Zaki area on Saturday, 10th May. Meanwhile, NDLEA officers at a courier company in Lagos intercepted 1.1kg of Loud hidden inside a pillow in a parcel from Thailand on Tuesday, 6th May.
Babafemi also disclosed that the NDLEA intensified its advocacy efforts under the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative during the week under review. Sensitization lectures were held for students and staff at Federal Government College, Sokoto; Deeper Life International College, Nteje, Anambra State; Martins Sanda Girls Science College, Paikoro, Niger State; and Restoration Power International School, Idua Eket, Akwa Ibom State. In Oyo State, the NDLEA took the WADA campaign to the League of Imams and Alfas at Iseyin Central Mosque.
Reacting to the series of operations, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers and men of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI), MMIA, PHIA, and commands in Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Bauchi, Kwara, and Niger for their outstanding efforts. He also praised officers across all state commands for maintaining a strong balance between drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction activities
