NDLEA arrests widow using fake pregnancy to traffic cocaine

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intensified its nationwide crackdown on narcotics trafficking, arresting multiple suspects, intercepting massive consignments of illicit substances, and destroying cannabis farms across several states.

In Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested 50-year-old widow and fashion designer, Mrs. Ifeoma Henrietta Ezewuike, for attempting to traffic 1.3 kilograms of cocaine disguised as a pregnancy bump.

Ezewuike, a mother of one and owner of Golden Star Creation, a fashion outfit in Ago Palace Way, Okota, was apprehended at Jibowu bus terminal, Yaba, on Friday, August 22, 2025, while heading to deliver the consignment in Abuja.

A follow-up search at her residence uncovered 200 grams of a cocaine-cutting agent. In her statement, she admitted inheriting the trade from her late husband, who died two years ago, while claiming she had been in the fashion business for over two decades.

Also in Lagos, NDLEA officers intercepted 90 parcels of “Loud” cannabis (48.6kg) concealed inside three cartons of imported kitchen sinks at a courier company. The consignment was traced to the United States.

In Abuja, operatives arrested two dispatch riders—Garba Sule, 29, and Isaac Augustine, 35—on August 21 for distributing narcotics in the Federal Capital Territory. Sule was caught with pentazocine injections, while Augustine had 8.64 grams of packaged skunk ready for delivery.

In Adamawa, NDLEA operatives raided the home of a notorious dealer, Idris Garba, who escaped, but arrested his associate Boniface Nnaji, 55. From the operation, officers seized a Toyota Tundra jeep loaded with 354,480 tramadol pills and a Toyota Yaris linked to drug supplies.

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In Kogi, NDLEA officers at Idah waterside arrested Neche Okonkwo with 5,000 tramadol capsules, 400 pentazocine ampoules, and 200 diazepam ampoules, after crossing the River Niger from Onitsha.

The agency also intercepted 2,289.49kg of skunk in Kwara State during three operations in Ajase-Ipo between August 20–21, arresting multiple suspects. In Ekiti, 96kg of skunk was seized from two suspects in Ikere-Ekiti.

In Taraba, NDLEA and Civil Defence officers destroyed 7,500kg of cannabis cultivated on three hectares of farmland.

Edo operations led to the destruction of over 15,000kg of skunk, including seizures from warehouses and plantations in Owan West LGA, with one female suspect arrested.

In Delta, operatives—assisted by the military—destroyed 25,500kg of cannabis on 10.2 hectares of farmland in Ndokwa West LGA.

Alongside arrests and seizures, NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization programs in schools, mosques, communities, and workplaces across Katsina, Kano, Abia, and Nasarawa states.

NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers from Lagos, Kano, Kwara, Kogi, Adamawa, Edo, Taraba, Delta, Ondo, Ekiti, and FCT commands for their “courage and professionalism.” He urged them to sustain the balanced approach of enforcement and advocacy in tackling drug abuse.