Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have foiled an attempt by a Kano-based businesswoman, 35-year-old Rabi Muhammad, to traffic consignments of cocaine and opioids concealed in a fake baby bump through the Seme land border in Lagos.
The agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja.
According to him, the suspect was intercepted by NDLEA officers at the departure tarmac of the Seme border on Monday while attempting to cross into Cotonou, Benin Republic, with a protruding tummy that initially suggested pregnancy.
Babafemi explained that a thorough body search later revealed that the pregnancy was fake. Instead, the suspect had strapped a pink-coloured calabash to her stomach to simulate a baby bump, which was used to conceal 3,200 capsules of tramadol. She reportedly intended to sell the illicit drugs in Cotonou.
In a related development on the same day, NDLEA operatives at the screening point of the departure hall of the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport intercepted a 41-year-old Ivorian national, Michael Gohouri, also known as Anunwa Onyinye Michael.
Babafemi said the suspect was apprehended during outward clearance for passengers boarding Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940 to Milan Malpensa via Addis Ababa.
According to the statement, when the suspect was subjected to a body scan, the result confirmed ingestion of illicit substances. He was subsequently placed under observation for further investigation and necessary procedures.
The NDLEA reiterated its commitment to intensifying surveillance and operational strategies across borders and airports to curb drug trafficking and related crimes.
