Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have exposed two dramatic drug trafficking attempts involving unusual concealment methods, reinforcing growing concerns about evolving smuggling tactics across Nigeria’s air and land borders.
The arrests, carried out on Monday, February 16, 2026, were described by the agency as part of a disturbing trend in which traffickers resort to increasingly bizarre strategies to move illicit drugs to Europe and neighbouring West African countries.
At the Seme border in Lagos, NDLEA officers intercepted a 35-year-old Kano-based businesswoman, Rabi Muhammad, while she was attempting to cross into Cotonou.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the suspect appeared heavily pregnant, raising suspicions among operatives at the departure point.
A detailed search revealed a shocking deception: her pregnancy was fake.
Officials discovered she had strapped a pink calabash to her abdomen to simulate a baby bump. Hidden inside the improvised device were 3,200 capsules of tramadol carefully packed for onward distribution across the border.
The agency said the opioids were tightly secured in an attempt to evade detection during routine screening.
In a separate operation the same day, NDLEA operatives arrested a 41-year-old Ivorian national, Michael Gohouri, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.
Gohouri was undergoing clearance to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Milan Malpensa Airport via Addis Ababa when he was flagged for further checks.
A body scan confirmed he had ingested illicit substances. While under observation, he excreted 82 wraps of cocaine weighing approximately 1.49 kilograms.
Investigations showed the suspect had arrived in Lagos from Milan in January and moved between Lagos and Enugu before travelling to Kano, where he allegedly swallowed the drug consignments in preparation for his return trip to Italy.
Authorities said he agreed to traffic the drugs for a fee of €5,000 upon successful delivery.
Gohouri, who resides in Abidjan, reportedly holds both Ivorian and Nigerian ties and possesses a valid Italian residence permit.
The NDLEA said both cases highlight the determination of traffickers to exploit Nigerian transit routes using unconventional concealment techniques.
Officials confirmed that investigations are ongoing as the agency intensifies efforts to dismantle cross-border drug trafficking networks operating through Nigeria’s land borders and international airports.
SUNTV Global Channel reports that authorities have vowed to strengthen surveillance and intelligence operations to curb the growing threat of transnational drug smuggling.
