In a fresh operation underscoring the evolving tactics of drug traffickers, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended a female passenger, Ihensekhien Miracle Obehi, at the Port Harcourt International Airport as she attempted to smuggle over two kilograms of cocaine out of Nigeria.
Obehi, who was preparing to board a Qatar Airways flight to Tehran, Iran, via Doha on May 3, 2025, had disguised herself in a Muslim hijab in an attempt to evade suspicion and security scrutiny. However, her ploy was uncovered during the routine screening by NDLEA officers stationed at the airport.
Upon thorough examination, the operatives discovered that the suspect had gone to extreme lengths to conceal the narcotics. Three wraps of cocaine were hidden inside her private parts, while two larger parcels were found cleverly concealed in a false bottom of her handbag. Further investigations revealed that she had ingested 67 pellets of the illicit substance, which were later recovered during a monitored excretion process lasting several days.
NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi, confirmed the development in a statement issued in Abuja. He revealed that the suspect confessed to planning to swallow 70 pellets of cocaine but could only manage to ingest 67, opting to hide the remaining three internally.
“She confessed that her original intention was to swallow 70 pellets, but after 67, she couldn’t continue, so she resorted to hiding the rest in her private parts,” Babafemi said. He also clarified the misuse of religious attire in the trafficking attempt, stating emphatically that the agency’s concern is with criminal deception, not any faith or religious group. “The person disguises with hijab to do bad thing and not Muslim,” he explained, distancing the illegal act from Islam or its adherents.
The NDLEA further emphasized that this arrest is part of an ongoing crackdown on drug smuggling operations across Nigeria’s international airports. The agency noted that traffickers are increasingly adopting disguises and dangerous concealment methods to beat security systems, a trend that has prompted intensified vigilance and intelligence gathering.
Obehi’s case adds to a growing list of individuals attempting to move hard drugs through high-risk concealment, often at great personal danger. According to NDLEA records, ingestion remains one of the riskiest methods of drug trafficking, often resulting in medical emergencies and, in some cases, death if any of the pellets rupture inside the body.
The agency reiterated its commitment to not only intercepting traffickers but also exposing the deceptive methods being used to exploit gaps in travel security. The NDLEA continues to collaborate with international and local partners to dismantle drug trafficking syndicates and bring offenders to justice.
As investigations continue, Obehi is expected to face prosecution in line with Nigeria’s drug control laws. The NDLEA has called on members of the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious movements, stressing that the fight against drug trafficking requires the cooperation of all stakeholders. I’m
