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.
The agency also arrested a 62-year-old Nigerian-American grandmother, Anetor Gloria Ubong, with 9.45kg of “loud”, a synthetic cannabis, imported from the United States.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
Babafemi said officers also recovered large quantities of illicit drugs in separate operations in Kano, Lagos, Bauchi, Niger, Edo, Ondo, Taraba, Oyo and Delta states.
South African courier
Qhina was arrested at the departure hall on October 7, 2026, while trying to board a Qatar Airways flight to South Africa via Doha.
A search of her two travelling bags led to the recovery of 30 blocks of cocaine weighing 36.65kg. The drugs were laced with dried pepper, wrapped in cello tape and packed in seven parcels.
She told investigators she arrived in Nigeria on September 30 specifically to collect the consignment. According to her, she was recruited by another South African woman, who promised her R20,000 on successful delivery.
She also claimed she was introduced to two other members of the syndicate, one based in the US and the other a Lagos-based car dealer.
Investigations led to the October 14 arrest of the car dealer, 46-year-old Uchenna Victor Umunnakwe, who was intercepted at Apple Junction, Ago Palace Way, Lagos, after days of surveillance at his Shasha residence.
Umunnakwe admitted receiving Qhina at the airport and lodging her at Santiago Hotel in Amuwo-Odofin. He later moved her to Cynarisso Hotel, near the airport, ahead of her departure.
Texas-based grandmother
In another operation at the airport, NDLEA officers on Wednesday, October 21, arrested Ubong, a realtor based in Richmond, Texas, who holds both Nigerian and US passports.
She was arrested after arriving on a United Airlines flight from Houston.
A search of her two checked-in boxes uncovered 18 parcels of loud weighing 9.45kg, concealed with gift wrapping paper in one of the boxes.
Ubong claimed the box was delivered to her home in the US by her daughter and the daughter’s future brother-in-law, for onward delivery in Nigeria to her daughter’s fiancé, identified as Jibola.
Other arrests and seizures
- In Lagos, a special operations unit arrested Eletu Rasheedat, 41, at Eti Osa on Friday, October 23. Officers recovered 5,820 pills of diazepam, 780 tablets of tramadol, 3.7kg of skunk and 230.25 litres of skuchies.
- In Delta, Peter Ugochukwu, 51, was arrested in Warri with a large cache of pharmaceutical opioids, including 29,350 capsules of tramadol, 6,620 tablets of tramadol 200mg, 4,116 bottles of codeine syrup, 11,340 tablets of Rohypnol and 3,500 tablets of diazepam. Also recovered were 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 200 ampoules of diazepam injection, and quantities of tramadol 225mg, Molly and Cocodamol. He was transferred along with a white Hummer bus from the Nigeria Police Force, Delta State.
- Also in Warri, a 46-year-old physically challenged woman, Helen Bakporo Samson, was arrested at Enhere Junction on Monday, October 19, with 6.0kg of skunk.
- In Ibadan, Oyo State, Fajana Dada Oluwaseyi, 41, was arrested on October 19 at Adamasingba after initially escaping arrest when officers seized 197.8kg of cannabis sativa from his house on September 16.
- In Kano, a raid in Gerawa on Thursday, October 22, led to the arrest of Murtala Lawan, 30, and the seizure of 159 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 97.2kg.
- In Taraba, officers at the Lankaviri checkpoint, Yorro LGA, arrested Raiyanu Misa, 39, on Friday, October 23, with 95 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 60.175kg. 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.
- In Niger State, Emmanuel Ekene, 26, was arrested on Monday, October 19, on the Sabo-Kainji road, Borgu LGA, with 64,000 pills of opioids, including tramadol and diazepam.
- In Bauchi, Jamilu Mustapha, also known as Last Card, 45, was arrested on Wednesday, October 21, at Nasaru Town, Ningi LGA, with 379kg of cannabis sativa packed in seven jumbo sacks.
- In Ondo, officers acting on intelligence raided a farm at Board-Ala, Akure South, on Tuesday, October 20, and recovered 56 bags of abandoned cannabis sativa weighing 583kg.
- In Edo, two cannabis farms in Ugbada Forest, Uzebba, Owan West LGA, with an estimated yield of 2,023.14kg, were destroyed on Sunday, October 18. Operatives 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 substance.
War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation
Babafemi said NDLEA commands across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities in the past week.
Lectures were held for 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.
Commending officers of the MMIA, Kano, Lagos, Bauchi, Niger, Edo, Ondo, Taraba, Oyo and Delta commands for their vigilance, professionalism and intelligence-driven approach, the NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), urged them and their colleagues nationwide to sustain the tempo of the war against drug trafficking and substance abuse.
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