A 26-year-old nursing student, Esther Onyinyechi Uzodinima, has been apprehended by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for attempting to smuggle 76 wraps of cocaine in Kano, Nigeria. The arrest occurred on January 16, 2025, at the Royal Park Hotel in Sabon Gari, just hours before her scheduled flight back to India.

According to NDLEA officials, Uzodinima was recruited by a drug cartel in India, which financed her trip to Nigeria under the guise of a holiday. She was instructed to ingest the cocaine, concealed in an audio speaker, before boarding her flight to India, with a promised payment of $5,000 upon successful delivery.

The operation leading to Uzodinima’s arrest began with the interception of a courier, Cosmas Okorie, along the Okene-Lokofer highway in Kogi State. Okorie was found with the cocaine, weighing 1.340 kilograms, hidden inside an audio speaker intended for delivery to Uzodinima in Kano.

In addition to Uzodinima’s case, the NDLEA reported further operations along the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja highway, resulting in the arrest of four additional suspects with over 38,000 pills of tramadol concealed in audio speakers and clothing.

The NDLEA has been conducting raids in various locations, leading to multiple arrests and the seizure of significant quantities of illicit drugs. Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, the Chairman of NDLEA, commended the efforts of the agency’s operatives and emphasized the importance of continuing their fight against drug trafficking in Nigeria.