A 50-year-old widow and fashion designer, Mrs. Ifeoma Henrietta Ezewuike, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Lagos for attempting to traffic 1.3 kilograms of cocaine cleverly concealed under a fake pregnancy.
The widow, who runs Golden Star Creation, a fashion outfit in Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos, was arrested at Jibowu bus terminal, Yaba, on Friday, 22nd August 2025, while attempting to move the illicit consignment to customers in Abuja. A follow-up search at her residence led to the discovery of 200 grams of cutting agent, used in producing a potent strain of cocaine. In her statement, she confessed that she inherited the illegal trade from her late husband, who died two years ago, even though she had been in the fashion business for over 20 years.
The Lagos arrest came alongside other major seizures nationwide as NDLEA intensified its clampdown on drug cartels. In the same week, officers intercepted 90 parcels of Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 48.6kg, smuggled from the United States and hidden inside kitchen sink cartons at a courier company. In Adamawa, operatives raided the home of a notorious dealer, Idris Garba, who escaped, but his accomplice, 55-year-old Boniface Nnaji, was arrested while attempting to flee. The operation yielded 354,480 pills of tramadol and other opioids hidden inside vehicles.
In Kogi, Kano, and Kwara states, separate raids uncovered large quantities of tramadol, pregabalin, codeine syrup, and skunk, leading to multiple arrests. Notably, three truckloads of skunk weighing over 2,200kg were intercepted in Kwara, while farms and warehouses used for large-scale cannabis cultivation and storage were destroyed in Taraba, Edo, Delta, and Ondo, with over 73,000kg of cannabis uprooted and set ablaze.
In Abuja, two dispatch riders were arrested during a stop-and-search operation in Jabi for distributing illicit substances within the city. One was caught with pentazocine injections, while the other carried packaged skunk ready for delivery.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization campaign across schools, mosques, churches, workplaces, and communities. Awareness lectures were delivered in states including Katsina, Kano, Abia, and Nasarawa, where officials met with traditional rulers and political leaders to strengthen advocacy.
Commending the officers for their resilience, the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), urged them to sustain the momentum, stressing the agency’s commitment to a balanced approach that combines enforcement with public enlightenment.
By Fikunmi Sokoya
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