Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 50-year-old widow and mother of one, Mrs. Ifeoma Ezewuike, for allegedly attempting to traffic 1.3 kilograms of cocaine using a fake pregnancy as a cover to evade detection.
The suspect, identified as the proprietress of Golden Star Creation, a fashion outfit located along Ago Palace Way in Okota, Lagos, was apprehended on Friday, August 22, 2025, at a bus terminal in the Jibowu area of Yaba, Lagos. She was reportedly en route to deliver the cocaine consignment to clients in Abuja.
Following her arrest, a search of her residence in the Ago Palace area led to the recovery of 200 grams of a cutting agent commonly used in the production of a potent form of cocaine.
According to the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the suspect claimed during interrogation that she inherited the drug trafficking business from her late husband, who passed away two years ago. She also said she had been running her fashion business for over two decades.
In a separate operation, NDLEA officers from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) intercepted a shipment of 90 parcels of loud—a potent strain of cannabis—hidden in three cartons of kitchen sinks. The 48.6-kilogram consignment had been imported from the United States and was seized at a courier service facility in Lagos on Tuesday, August 19.
Meanwhile, in Adamawa State, operatives acting on credible intelligence raided the residence of a notorious drug trafficker, Idris Garba, on Friday, August 22. Garba managed to escape by scaling a fence, but his associate, 55-year-old Boniface Nnaji, was apprehended while attempting the same.
Recovered from the scene were two vehicles: a black Toyota Tundra with plate number FST-885-CZ, reportedly driven to Yola by Nnaji to deliver 354,480 pills of tramadol (225mg and 250mg varieties), and a Toyota Yaris with registration number DSA-776-AA.
Elsewhere, on Wednesday, August 20, NDLEA officers intercepted another suspect, Neche Okonkwo, at Idah waterside, shortly after crossing the River Niger from Onitsha, Anambra State into Lokoja, Kogi State. Seized from him were 5,000 capsules of tramadol, 400 ampoules of pentazocine injection, and 200 ampoules of diazepam injection.
In Taraba State, a joint operation between the NDLEA and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on Wednesday, August 20, led to the destruction of 7,500kg of skunk cultivated on three hectares of farmland in Dadin Kowa village, Bali LGA. A 54-year-old woman, Fodo Stella Sunday, was arrested during the operation.
Also in Edo State, NDLEA operatives uncovered a warehouse in Uzebba, Owan West LGA, where 901kg of skunk was seized. In a related operation on Wednesday, August 20, four plantations totaling 5.69375 hectares were raided in the Ebule forest, Owan West, and 14,233.37 kilograms of skunk were destroyed.
In Delta State, supported by military personnel, NDLEA officers destroyed 25,500kg of skunk on four farms spanning 10.2 hectares in the Emu-Obiogu community, Ndokwa West LGA, on Thursday, August 21. A similar operation in Ondo State led to the destruction of 25,025kg of skunk from three plantations measuring 10.01 hectares in the Asolo camp area of Uso.
The NDLEA reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks and eradicating illicit drug cultivation and distribution across the country.
