The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 35-year-old businesswoman, Rabi Muhammad, at the Seme land border after discovering she was attempting to smuggle a large quantity of illicit tramadol pills concealed in a fake pregnancy bump, the agency said in a statement on Sunday.

NDLEA officers became suspicious of Muhammad’s protruding stomach while she was trying to cross into Cotonou, Benin Republic, on Monday February 16, 2026. A full body search revealed that the “pregnancy” was staged using a pink-coloured calabash fastened to her abdomen and packed with 3,200 tramadol capsules destined for sale across the border.

The seizure was part of a broader anti-narcotics operation by the NDLEA that also uncovered other trafficking plots both at the border and at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) in Kano State. In a related incident, officials intercepted an Ivorian national, 41-year-old Michael Gohouri, who was found to have ingested 82 wraps of cocaine after attempting to board a flight to Milan. The suspect was placed under medical observation and later excreted the narcotics, weighing around 1.49 kg, during the screening process.

NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the arrests underscore how traffickers are resorting to bizarre concealment methods to avoid detection but that such attempts are being thwarted by vigilant enforcement efforts. Officials reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to intensifying surveillance and interdiction efforts at key entry points to prevent illegal drugs from entering and leaving the country.

The suspects are now in NDLEA custody and are expected to face prosecution under Nigeria’s Narcotics Drugs Act and related anti-drug trafficking laws. The agency said the successful interceptions reflect a sustained focus on disrupting drug networks and protecting communities from the harm of substance abuse.