NDLEA Arrests Woman With Tramadol Stuffed In 'Baby Bump' At Seme Border, Ivorian Excretes 82 Pellets Of Cocaine In Kano

 The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA has foiled two audacious attempts to smuggle illicit drugs across Nigeria's borders and airports, arresting a woman who hid thousands of tramadol capsules in a fake pregnancy "baby bump" at the Seme land border and intercepting an Ivorian national who excreted 82 wraps of cocaine at Kano's international airport.

In the first incident, operatives at the Seme border in Lagos State nabbed 35-year-old Rabi Muhammad, a businesswoman based in Kano, on Monday, February 16, 2026. She drew suspicion while attempting to cross into Cotonou, Benin Republic, due to her noticeably protruding stomach that suggested advanced pregnancy. A thorough body search quickly revealed the truth, her apparent pregnancy was entirely fabricated. Officers discovered she had strapped a pink-coloured calabash a traditional gourd around her abdomen to mimic a baby bump. Concealed inside this improvised device were 3,200 capsules of tramadol, a powerful opioid painkiller often abused recreationally and tightly regulated in Nigeria.

Muhammad reportedly planned to sell the consignment in Cotonou, where demand for such substances remains high in underground markets. Tramadol abuse has become a serious public health issue across West Africa, linked to addiction, organ damage, and even fatalities when taken in excess or combined with other substances. NDLEA officials described the method as one of the more creative and desperate concealment tactics they've encountered in recent operations at land borders.

On the same day, far to the north at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), NDLEA teams made another significant interception. During passenger screening for Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940 bound for Milan, Italy, via Addis Ababa, they stopped 41-year-old Ivorian national Michael Gohouri, who also goes by the name Anunwa Onyinye Michael. A body scan raised immediate red flags, confirming he had ingested narcotics. Placed under medical observation, Gohouri eventually excreted 82 wraps of cocaine totaling 1.49 kilograms.

Investigations revealed Gohouri had arrived in Lagos from Milan on January 17, 2026. Over the following weeks, he shuttled between Lagos and Enugu before heading to Kano, where he ingested the cocaine pellets in a hotel room. Sources indicate he stood to earn €5,000 upon successful delivery in Milan. The suspect, who claims dual Ivorian-Nigerian heritage, holds an Italian resident permit valid until May 2026 after applying for asylum in Italy in 2013.

Femi Babafemi, NDLEA's Director of Media and Advocacy, announced the arrests in a statement on Sunday, February 22, 2026, praising the vigilance of operatives at both locations. He emphasized that these incidents features the evolving ingenuity of drug traffickers, who continue to devise bizarre methods to evade detection while attempting to feed international and regional markets.

The agency has intensified crackdowns at entry and exit points, including airports, seaports, and land borders, in response to rising attempts to move opioids like tramadol and hard drugs like cocaine through Nigeria. Such operations often involve body-packing swallowing pellets or creative external concealment, putting smugglers at grave personal risk from ruptured packets or detection.

Both suspects remain in custody as investigations continue, with NDLEA vowing to pursue full prosecution. Officials reiterated calls for public cooperation in reporting suspicious activities, stressing that curbing drug trafficking protects communities from the devastating effects of substance abuse.

These latest busts add to NDLEA's growing record of interceptions in early 2026, demonstrating the agency's commitment to disrupting supply chains and safeguarding public health amid persistent challenges from transnational crime networks.