NDLEA Arrests Widow For Alleged Cocaine Trafficking With Fake Pregnancy

A 50-year-old widow and fashion designer, Mrs. Ifeoma Henrietta Ezewuike, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Lagos for attempting to traffic 1.3 kilograms of cocaine. The suspect, who disguised herself with a fake pregnancy to evade detection, was intercepted at a bus terminal in Jibowu, Yaba, on Friday, August 22, 2025, while en route to deliver the drugs to customers in Abuja.

Ezewuike, a mother of one and proprietress of Golden Star Creation, a fashion house in Okota, Lagos, told investigators that she inherited the illicit trade from her late husband, who passed away two years ago. She admitted to blending the drug business with her two-decade-old fashion career. A follow-up search at her residence in Ago Palace Way led to the recovery of 200 grams of a cutting agent used in cocaine production.

The agency described the arrest as a critical breakthrough in dismantling trafficking networks using innovative concealment methods to escape law enforcement checks.

Major Seizures and Interceptions in Lagos and Beyond

In another operation in Lagos, NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation (DOGI) intercepted 90 parcels of “Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis weighing 48.6 kilograms. The drugs were concealed in three cartons of kitchen sinks imported from the United States and were seized at a courier company on Tuesday, August 19.

Similar raids across the country uncovered large quantities of narcotics. In Kwara State alone, three major interceptions between August 20 and 21 yielded a total of 2,289.49 kilograms of skunk hidden in trucks. Four suspects were arrested in connection with the seizures. Likewise, two men were nabbed in Ekiti State after being linked to a 96-kilogram consignment of cannabis.

The seizures highlight the scale and sophistication of drug smuggling in Nigeria, with traffickers resorting to concealment in everyday household items and logistics vehicles to bypass detection.

NDLEA Raids and Arrests Across Northern States

NDLEA operatives in Adamawa, Kano, and Kogi recorded significant breakthroughs. In Yola, Adamawa, officers raided the home of a notorious drug baron, Idris Garba, who escaped by scaling a fence. However, his associate, 55-year-old Boniface Nnaji, was arrested with a consignment of 354,480 pills of tramadol. Two vehicles, including a Toyota Thundra Jeep and a Toyota Yaris, were also impounded.

In Kano, multiple operations between August 19 and 23 led to the arrest of suspects with over 460,000 pills of opioids, 140 litres of codeine syrup, and thousands of tramadol capsules. Meanwhile, in Kogi State, a suspect identified as Neche Okonkwo was arrested at Idah waterside with opioids ferried across the River Niger from Onitsha, Anambra.

The arrests and seizures underscore NDLEA’s reliance on intelligence-led operations, which have helped cut off supplies at both local and interstate levels.

Destruction of Cannabis Plantations in Forested States by NDLEA

Beyond seizures, NDLEA continued its offensive against large-scale cannabis cultivation. In Delta State, a joint operation with the military destroyed 25,500 kilograms of skunk on four plantations spanning over 10 hectares in Ndokwa West LGA. Similar operations in Ondo State saw 25,025 kilograms destroyed on farms measuring 10.01 hectares, while Edo State recorded 14,233 kilograms destroyed on plantations covering more than five hectares.

In Taraba, 7,500 kilograms of cannabis plants were destroyed on three hectares of farmland at Dadin Kowa village, Bali LGA, with further seizures of 901 kilograms from a warehouse in Uzebba, Edo State. A female suspect, 54-year-old Fodo Stella Sunday, was arrested during the raids.

These large-scale destructions reflect NDLEA’s efforts to cripple the supply chain of illicit drugs by targeting their cultivation at the source, a move seen as vital to curbing the drug epidemic in Nigeria.

Dispatch Riders, Sensitization, and Agency’s Warning

In Abuja, NDLEA officers arrested two dispatch riders on August 21 in a stop-and-search operation in Jabi. The suspects, Garba Sule, 29, and Isaac Augustine, 35, were found with skunk and pentazocine injections packaged for delivery. The agency said such arrests reveal how traffickers increasingly rely on everyday delivery services to distribute narcotics in urban centres.

Meanwhile, NDLEA commands nationwide continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy, visiting schools, worship centres, workplaces, and traditional rulers to sensitize the public. Recent engagements included lectures at Islamiyya schools in Kano and Katsina, as well as advocacy visits to Governor Alex Otti of Abia State and HRH Andoma of Doma in Nasarawa.

Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers for their resilience and urged them to sustain the “balanced approach” of enforcement and education. He reiterated that the agency would not relent in its mission to disrupt drug cartels and safeguard Nigerian communities from the dangers of illicit substances.