Widow Using Fake Pregnancy to Traffic Cocaine Nabbed as NDLEA Intensifies Nationwide Crackdown
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 50-year-old widow, Mrs. Ifeoma Henrietta Ezewuike, for attempting to traffic 1.3 kilograms of cocaine under the guise of a fake pregnancy, as the Agency’s nationwide operations continue to yield significant seizures of narcotics and the dismantling of criminal networks.
Ezewuike, a mother of one and fashion designer who runs Golden Star Creation on Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos, was apprehended on Friday, 22nd August 2025, at a bus terminal in Jibowu, Yaba, while attempting to move the cocaine consignment to customers in Abuja. A follow-up search of her residence uncovered 200 grams of a cutting agent used in producing a strain of cocaine.
In her statement, Ezewuike admitted she inherited the trade from her late husband, who died two years ago, despite having run her fashion business for over two decades.
NDLEA’s Directorate of Operation and General Investigation (DOGI) in Lagos intercepted 90 parcels of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 48.6kg. The illicit drugs, imported from the United States, were concealed in three cartons of kitchen sinks and intercepted at a courier company on Tuesday, 19th August.
In Adamawa, operatives raided the home of notorious drug dealer Idris Garba in Rumde Baru, Yola South, on Friday, 22nd August. While Garba escaped by scaling a fence, his associate, Boniface Nnaji, 55, was arrested. Recovered items included a Toyota Thundra jeep and 354,480 pills of tramadol of varying dosages, as well as a Toyota Yaris.
Other notable seizures include: Kogi State: 5,000 tramadol capsules, 400 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 200 ampoules of diazepam were seized from Neche Okonkwo at Idah waterside after crossing the River Niger on Wednesday, 20th August.
Kano State: Arrests and seizures between 19th–23rd August yielded 452,070 pills of opioids, 5,850 capsules of pregabaline, 140 litres of codeine syrup and 7,000 tramadol capsules.
Kwara State: Three major interceptions of skunk between 20th–21st August weighed a combined 2,289.49kg, with multiple suspects arrested.
Ekiti State: Two suspects were arrested at Alafia Quarters, Ikere-Ekiti, with 96kg of skunk.
In coordinated field operations across several states, NDLEA operatives destroyed thousands of kilograms of skunk cultivated on farmlands and hidden in warehouses:
Taraba: 7,500kg destroyed on three hectares in Bali LGA.
Edo: 901kg recovered in Owan West LGA with one arrest, while 14,233.37kg destroyed on plantations in Ebule forest.
Delta: 25,500kg destroyed on four farms in Ndokwa West LGA.
Ondo: 25,025kg destroyed on three plantations in the Uso area.
Two dispatch riders were arrested in Jabi, Abuja, on Thursday, 21st August, while distributing drugs within the Federal Capital Territory. Garba Sule, 29, was caught with pentazocine injection, while Isaac Augustine, 35, was found with skunk packaged for delivery.
Beyond arrests and seizures, NDLEA commands nationwide intensified their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy, with sensitisation programmes in schools, mosques, workplaces and communities.
Highlights included lectures at Women Islamiyya School in Katsina, Fathul Bari Islamiyya School in Kano, as well as advocacy visits to Governor Alex Otti of Abia State and the Andoma of Doma in Nasarawa State.
Commending the efforts of operatives across the states, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), praised their courage and professionalism.
He urged them to maintain the Agency’s “balanced approach” in tackling drug trafficking while sustaining preventive advocacy across communities.
