Ugandan Woman Arrested for Smuggling Cocaine in Lagos

A 34-year-old Ugandan woman, Farida Nansubuga, has been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency. She is accused of trying to smuggle 1.15 kilograms of cocaine from Nigeria to Uganda.

Nansubuga was caught at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, November 3. She was about to board a flight to Uganda when she was stopped.

The NDLEA said 87 wraps of cocaine were found in her pelvic area. She had strapped them under two layers of underwear.

According to Femi Babafemi, the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Nansubuga arrived in Nigeria on October 29. She came with members of her church for a prayer session at the Synagogue Church of All Nations in Ikotun-Egbe, Lagos State.

Babafemi explained that other members of her group went back to Uganda after the prayer session. But Nansubuga stayed behind to allegedly pick up cocaine for a friend named Joy, who lives in Uganda.

She was caught during a passenger screening exercise at Terminal 2 of the airport. NDLEA operatives worked alongside aviation security personnel.

"She came to Nigeria with members of her church for spiritual renewal at a prayer session in Lagos. But when it was time to go home, 34-year-old Ugandan, Ms Farida Nansubuga, chose a different path. While the rest of her delegation flew back to Uganda, she stayed behind, not to pray some more, but to pick up a consignment of cocaine, which she hid in her private part in a bid to smuggle it into her country."

Babafemi said her plan fell apart at the airport. She was intercepted at the screening point on November 3. She was supposed to board a Ugandan airline flight back home.

A preliminary investigation showed that a contact in Nigeria arranged a vehicle to take her to a hotel on the morning of her flight. There, an unidentified man gave her the drugs.

Nansubuga reportedly told investigators that she was told to hide the cocaine under her clothing to avoid airport security.

He said, "During preliminary interview, the suspect said she arrived in Nigeria on 29th October 2026 with members of her church for a prayer session at The Synagogue Church of All Nations, Ikotun Egbe area of Lagos. She claimed that after the prayer session, the other members of her delegation returned to Uganda while she stayed back to collect the illicit consignment on behalf of a friend, simply identified as Joy, who resides in Uganda."

She said she did not agree on a specific payment but expected to get at least $1,000 after delivering the drugs in Uganda.

The NDLEA Chairman, Brig-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), said this incident shows how drug cartels use religious activities to find couriers.

Marwa praised the officers involved in the arrest. He urged personnel across the agency to keep fighting against drug trafficking and abuse.

"The case of the Ugandan woman is a sad reminder that drug cartels will stop at nothing, including exploiting faith and religious travel, to recruit couriers for their deadly trade. I urge officers across all commands to sustain the tempo of their supply and demand reduction efforts," he said.