NDLEA foils fake pregnancy drug plot at Seme border

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a bizarre smuggling attempt involving a 35-year-old businesswoman who used a fabricated pregnancy to conceal illicit opioids.

The suspect, Rabi Muhammad, was apprehended on Monday, February 16, 2026, at the departure tarmac of the Seme land border while attempting to cross into the Benin Republic.

During a routine screening, officers noticed Muhammad’s protruding abdomen and conducted a full-body search, which revealed that her baby bump was actually a pink-colored calabash tied to her stomach.

The hollowed-out gourd was used to hide 3,200 capsules of tramadol, which the suspect confessed she was transporting to Cotonou for sale.

The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers at the Seme command for their vigilance in uncovering the plot.

He noted that such desperate and unusual tactics by traffickers underscore the agency's success in tightening security at traditional exit points, forcing criminals to resort to increasingly strange methods of concealment.