When crime masquerades as motherhood: Woman nab with tramadol capsules in fake pregnancy

Stanley Ihedigbo

In a shocking twist of desperation and deceit, a 35-year-old Kano businesswoman was caught by Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) trying to smuggle 3,200 tramadol capsules hidden in a fake pregnancy.

What appeared to be the glow of motherhood was, in reality, a cunning disguise for crime, exposing the lengths some go to in the dangerous world of drug trafficking.

According to the Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Femi Babafemi, his agency foiled bizarre plots by two drug traffickers attempting to move consignments of cocaine and opioids hidden in their stomachs and a fake baby bump through the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, and the Seme Land Border in Lagos to Europe and other destinations.

A Kano-based businesswoman, 35-year-old Rabi Muhammad, was intercepted by NDLEA officers at the departure tarmac of the Seme Land Border with a protruding tummy on Monday, 16th February 2026, while attempting to cross to Cotonou in the Benin Republic.

A full-body search, however, revealed the absurd: her pregnancy was fake, and her baby bump was designed with a pink-colored calabash used to conceal 3,200 capsules of tramadol, which she had tied around her stomach to take to Cotonou for sale.

On the same day in Kano, NDLEA operatives at the screening point of the departure hall of MAKIA intercepted a 41-year-old Ivorian, Michael Gohouri (also known as Anunwa Onyinye Michael), during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940 to Milan Malpensa via Addis Ababa. A body scan confirmed ingestion of illicit substances.

As a result, he was placed under observation, during which he excreted 82 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.49 kilograms. Michael Gohouri had arrived in Lagos from Milan on 17th January 2026 and had been shuttling between Lagos and Enugu for three weeks.

He later traveled to Kano, where he stayed for a week before ingesting the cocaine consignment in his hotel room. He is expected to be paid 5,000 Euros upon delivery of the drugs in Milan.

The suspect, who hails from Rue du Cèdre Avenue 13, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, claims his father, Bade Gohouri, is Ivorian, while his mother is from Anunwa Compound, Urunnebo Village, Ukwan, Enugu State.

He applied for asylum in Italy in 2013 and obtained a resident permit, which expires on 25th May 2026, while he also holds a Nigerian National Identification Number under the name Anunwa Onyinye Michael.

The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Trans Fortress Global Resources, a notable real estate development firm, Mr. Kolapo Oladapo Raji, has also been arrested by NDLEA operatives. Raji has been on the NDLEA watchlist since 2025 following credible intelligence.

The 57-year-old drug kingpin was arrested at his Safe Court Apartment residence in Ikate, Lekki, Lagos, on Thursday, 12th February 2026, after sustained surveillance shortly after his return from the United Kingdom.

A search of his residence led to the recovery of four large bags containing parcels of Canadian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, with a total weight of 89.20 kg. Also recovered at the point of his arrest was a 2024 model Toyota Hilux. In his statement, he claimed he became involved in the illicit drug trade after financing consignments for his overseas associate.

He said that the hundreds of millions of naira he received as profit motivated him to establish his own independent drug distribution channel.

In another interdiction operation in Lagos, suspect Ugwuja Kingsley was nabbed with 56 kg of skunk at Agbara on Thursday, 19th February, while Ekwe Arinze was caught with 76 kg of the same substance at a motor park in Oshodi on Tuesday, 17th February.

At the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers State, a total of 170,900 bottles of codeine-based syrup were discovered in a container during a joint examination of the shipment by NDLEA officers, Customs, and other security agencies. The NDLEA requested a 100% physical examination of the container following credible intelligence on the shipment.

No fewer than 7,300 pills of tramadol 225 mg, concealed in two sound systems, were recovered by NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Okene/Lokoja highway, Kogi State, during the search of a commuter bus coming from Lagos to Kano on Sunday, 15th February. A follow-up operation in Zuba, Abuja, on Tuesday, 17th February led to the arrest of two suspects linked to the consignment: Ezenma Kingsley, 26, and Ezeja Anthony, 29.

In Ondo State, suspect Bright Timothy, 28, was arrested at Iju Forest on Thursday, 19th February, with 195 kg of skunk and seeds, while another suspect, Godwin Bernard, was nabbed with 198 kg of the same substance during NDLEA raids on their enclaves in the forest.

A total of 936 kg of skunk was seized from suspect Yahaya Adamu Gimba, 48, when arrested at Azare Town, Katagun LGA, Bauchi, on Tuesday, 17th February, while another 85.8 kg of the same substance was recovered from Yahaya Adamu Gimba, Nasiru Suleman, 36, Abdul Umar, 25, and Musa Suleman, 21, in Azare.
While 37 kg of skunk was seized from Mgbeme Ejeoma, 34, at Club Street, Ekeredjebor, Ughelli, Delta State, on Tuesday, 17th February, NDLEA officers in Edo State raided Etiosa Camp in Owan West LGA on the same day, destroying 1,266.8475 kg of skunk on three farms.

No less than 23 kg of processed cannabis was also recovered, with two suspects—a 68-year-old grandmother, Evelyn Ogenewu, and a 43-year-old, Friday Iruoje—apprehended.

Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities in schools, worship centers, workplaces, and communities.

These included lectures at Muslim Community High School, Ayetoro-Oke, Kajola LGA, Oyo; Government Girls Secondary School, Gadaka, Yobe; Owerri City Secondary School, Owerri, Imo; Government Day Secondary School, Tongo, Gombe; St. Catherine’s College, Igoli, Ogoja, Cross River; Government Senior Girls Secondary School, Kofar Kudu, Kano; and Model Government College, Ikorodu, Lagos State.

While commending the officers and men of MAKIA, Seme, Lagos, Edo, Bauchi, PHPC, Ondo, Delta, and Kogi Commands for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), stated that their operational successes, particularly their balanced approach to drug supply and demand reduction, are well appreciated.