The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Lagos-based fashion designer, Mrs. Ifeoma Henrietta Ezewuike, for attempting to traffic 1.3 kilograms of cocaine to Abuja while pretending to be pregnant.
Ezewuike, 50, who runs Golden Star Creation, a fashion business in Ago Palace Way, Okota, was apprehended on Friday, August 22, 2025, at a bus terminal in Jibowu, Yaba, Lagos.
Her arrest was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday, August 24, 2025, by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi.
According to the agency, the suspect concealed the drugs by strapping them to her body under a fake baby bump.
“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) over attempt to traffic 1.3 kilograms of cocaine, using fake pregnancy as a façade to escape scrutiny and detection.
“The widow who is a mother of one and proprietress of Golden Star Creation, a fashion outfit in Ago palace way, Okota Lagos, was arrested at a bus terminal in Jibowu, Yaba area of the state on Friday 22nd August 2025 while attempting to move the cocaine consignment to customers in Abuja,” the statement read in part.
A follow-up search at her residence in Ago Palace led to the recovery of 200 grams of a cutting agent used in processing cocaine. NDLEA added that in her statement, she admitted inheriting the criminal trade from her late husband but claimed she had also run her fashion business for two decades.
More insights
In related operations during the week, the NDLEA disclosed in its statement that operatives intercepted 90 parcels of cannabis “loud” weighing 48.6kg, concealed in cartons of kitchen sinks at a courier company in Lagos. In Adamawa, officers raided the home of a notorious dealer where 354,480 pills of tramadol were recovered, while in Kano, another 452,070 pills of opioids were seized from different suspects and hideouts.
In Kwara State, operatives intercepted several truckloads of cannabis (“skunk”) on major highways, with the combined haul weighing over 2,200 kilograms. The agency also destroyed large cannabis farms uncovered in Delta, Edo, Taraba, and Ondo States.
What you should know
The NDLEA has ramped up its war against drug trafficking and abuse over the last 54 months, recording significant seizures and arrests across the country.
- Within this period, the agency seized over 11.2 million kilogrammes of assorted illicit drugs and arrested 67,345 suspects, reflecting the scale of its intensified nationwide operations.
- The agency also destroyed 1,572 hectares of cannabis farms, largely in South-West states, where farmlands were diverted to illicit cultivation. These operations, combined with frequent interceptions at airports, highways, and courier firms, highlight the agency’s determination to curb the growing drug menace.
With seizures running into millions of kilogrammes, large-scale farm destruction, and tens of thousands of arrests, the NDLEA’s efforts mark a sustained crackdown that continues to reshape Nigeria’s anti-narcotics fight.
