Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 34-year-old Ugandan national, Farida Nansubuga, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos after she was caught attempting to smuggle 1.15 kilograms of cocaine out of Nigeria.

Nansubuga was intercepted on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, during a joint passenger screening exercise at Terminal 2 as she prepared to board a flight back to Uganda.

According to a statement released by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, initial screening raised suspicion around the suspect’s pelvic area. Officers escorted her to a private search room, where a secondary search revealed 87 wraps of cocaine concealed beneath two layers of underwear.

Investigators stated that Nansubuga originally arrived in Nigeria on October 29 alongside a group of worshippers from her church for a spiritual retreat at the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) in Ikotun-Egbe, Lagos—the ministry founded by the late televangelist Prophet T.B. Joshua.

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While her fellow church members departed for Uganda at the end of the prayer sessions, Nansubuga remained behind. During interrogation, she admitted that she stayed to collect a drug shipment on behalf of a friend in Uganda identified only as “Joy.”

Nansubuga disclosed that her friend connected her with a local handler in Lagos. On the morning of her departure, a vehicle picked her up and brought her to a hotel, where a contact handed her the illicit consignment and gave instructions on how to conceal it to evade airport security. She claimed she had not finalized a fixed fee but expected to receive at least $1,000 upon successful delivery in Uganda.

Reacting to the intercept, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), warned that international drug syndicates are increasingly targeting religious tourists.

“This is a sad reminder that drug cartels will stop at nothing, including exploiting faith and religious travel, to recruit couriers for their deadly trade,” Marwa stated, calling on airport security personnel and law enforcement officers to remain vigilant.

The arrest forms part of broader nationwide operations by the NDLEA targeting illicit drug supply networks across air terminals and land borders.