The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 26-year-old nursing student of Noida International University, India, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 76 wraps of cocaine out of Nigeria.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this on Sunday, stating that the student was apprehended at the Royal Park Hotel, Sabon Garin, Kano, on January 16, just hours before her scheduled flight to India via Qatar Airways.
Babafemi revealed that the suspect had been recruited by a drug cartel in India, which funded her trip to Nigeria under the guise of holiday celebrations.
To avoid detection, the student refrained from visiting her home state, Imo, during her stay in Nigeria.
The arrest followed a tip-off after a 31-year-old male accomplice was intercepted by NDLEA operatives on the Okene-Lokoja highway in Kogi State.
The man, traveling from Lagos to Kano in a commuter bus, was found with an audio speaker concealing 76 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.340 kilograms.
According to Babafemi, a swift follow-up operation in Kano led to the suspect’s arrest at the hotel where she was preparing to ingest the drugs for smuggling.
“Her arrest is the result of intensive surveillance and coordination by our operatives,” Babafemi said.
“She admitted that she was to be paid $5,000 (approximately N9 million) upon successful delivery of the drugs in India.”
Further investigations revealed that the suspect had been housed in a hotel in Enugu for two weeks before traveling to Kano, where she was to finalize the operation.
The NDLEA has reiterated its commitment to combating drug trafficking, urging the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities.
The agency confirmed that both the student and her accomplice remain in custody as investigations continue, with plans to prosecute them under Nigerian law.
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