Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered two desperate drug trafficking attempts involving cocaine and opioids concealed in a fake pregnancy and inside the stomach of a suspected mule at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport and the Seme Border.
The arrests, which took place on Monday, February 16, 2026, highlight what officials described as increasingly “bizarre concealment methods” adopted by traffickers seeking to move illicit consignments to Europe and neighbouring West African countries.
At the Seme land border in Lagos, NDLEA officers intercepted a 35-year-old Kano-based businesswoman, Rabi Muhammad, at the departure tarmac while she was attempting to cross into Cotonou, Benin Republic.
According to Femi Babafemi, NDLEA Director of Media & Advocacy, in a statement on Sunday, Muhammad appeared heavily pregnant, with a conspicuously protruding belly.
However, a full-body search exposed what operatives called a “shocking deception.” Her pregnancy was fake.
NDLEA officials discovered that the suspect had strapped a pink-coloured calabash around her stomach to simulate a baby bump. Inside the improvised contraption were 3,200 capsules of tramadol, tightly packed and concealed for onward sale in Cotonou.
The agency confirmed that the opioids were carefully arranged within the calabash and secured to her abdomen in a bid to evade detection at the border.
Ivorian Excretes 82 Wraps Of Cocaine
On the same day in Kano, NDLEA operatives at the screening point of the departure hall of the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport arrested a 41-year-old Ivorian national, Michael Gohouri, also known as Anunwa Onyinye Michael.
Gohouri was undergoing outward clearance for passengers boarding Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940 to Milan Malpensa via Addis Ababa when he was flagged for further checks.
A body scan confirmed he had ingested illicit substances. He was subsequently placed under observation, during which he excreted 82 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.49 kilograms.
Investigations revealed that Gohouri had arrived in Lagos from Milan on January 17, 2026.
He reportedly shuttled between Lagos and Enugu for three weeks before travelling to Kano, where he stayed for a week. Authorities said he ingested the cocaine consignment in his hotel room ahead of his planned return to Italy.
The suspect allegedly agreed to traffic the drugs for a fee of 5,000 euros upon successful delivery in Milan.
Gohouri, who resides at Rue Duce Avenue 13, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, told investigators that his father, Bade Gohouri, is Ivorian while his mother hails from Anunwa compound, Urunnebo village, Ukwan in Enugu State, Nigeria.
He reportedly applied for asylum in Italy in 2013 and obtained a residence permit valid until May 25, 2026. NDLEA sources further disclosed that he possesses a Nigerian National Identification Number bearing the name Anunwa Onyinye Michael.
The agency said further investigations are ongoing, as authorities intensify efforts to dismantle cross-border drug trafficking networks exploiting Nigerian air and land routes.
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