She reportedly said she had been promised at least $1,000 for successfully delivering the consignment, although a final payment arrangement had not been agreed upon.
A 34-year-old Born-Again Ugandan woman has been arrested at an airport in Nigeria after allegedly attempting to smuggle 1.15kg of cocaine to Uganda, with the drugs concealed around her private parts beneath two layers of underwear.
Farida Nansubuga was intercepted on November 3, 2026, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos as she prepared to board a flight to Uganda, according to Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The agency said its operatives recovered 87 wraps of cocaine concealed beneath two layers of underwear around the suspect’s pelvic area during a joint screening operation with aviation security personnel.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said Nansubuga had arrived in Nigeria on October 29, 2026, as part of a church delegation travelling for a prayer programme at the Synagogue Church of All Nations in Ikotun, Lagos.
However, while the other members of the delegation returned to Uganda, Nansubuga allegedly remained behind to collect the drug consignment for an associate identified as Joy.
Preliminary investigations reportedly established that a Nigerian contact arranged her transportation to a hotel, where an unidentified man handed over the cocaine to her.
According to the agency, Nansubuga told investigators that she had been instructed to conceal the drugs beneath her clothing to evade airport security checks.
She reportedly said she had been promised at least $1,000 for successfully delivering the consignment, although a final payment arrangement had not been agreed upon.
Reacting to the arrest, NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.) warned that international drug trafficking networks were increasingly exploiting religious activities and international travel to recruit couriers.
Marwa said the incident demonstrated how drug cartels were taking advantage of seemingly innocent platforms, including religious trips, to facilitate illicit drug operations.
The agency said investigations into the suspected trafficking network were ongoing.