NDLEA Foils Kano Businesswoman’s Bizarre Plot, Busts Her with 3,200 Tramadol Capsules Hidden in Fake Pregnancy Belly at Seme Border
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have foiled a most audacious and bizarre smuggling plot by a 35-year-old Kano-based businesswoman, Rabi Muhammad, who attempted to sneak 3,200 capsules of tramadol across the Seme land border into Cotonou, Benin Republic, concealed in a fake pregnancy bump fashioned from a pink-coloured calabash tied around her stomach.
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The dramatic interception, which unfolded on the departure tarmac of the Seme border post on Monday, February 16, 2026, has once again highlighted the ingenuity and desperation of drug traffickers employing outlandish tactics to evade detection amid Nigeria’s ongoing war against narcotics proliferation.
According to a statement issued on Sunday, February 22, by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, Rabi Muhammad, who presented herself with a convincingly protruding tummy to mimic an advanced pregnancy, was promptly subjected to a full body search by vigilant officers upon attempting to cross the border.
What they uncovered was nothing short of absurd: the supposed baby bump was a cleverly designed contraption using the hollowed-out pink calabash, ingeniously packed with the illicit tramadol capsules intended for sale in the neighbouring Benin Republic.
This latest bust underscores the NDLEA’s unwavering vigilance at Nigeria’s porous borders, where traffickers continually devise novel method, from swallowing wraps of cocaine to hiding consignments in foodstuffs and vehicle parts, to ferry deadly substances that fuel addiction, crime, and social decay across West Africa.
The agency’s swift action not only prevented the tramadol, a potent opioid analgesic notorious for its abuse in Nigeria’s street drug markets, from reaching criminal networks in Cotonou but also serves as a stern warning to other would-be smugglers exploiting disguises such as pregnancy to bypass security protocols.
Babafemi’s statement detailed how Rabi, a seemingly respectable businesswoman from Kano, had meticulously prepared her fake belly to arouse no suspicion, yet the trained eyes and thorough procedures of NDLEA personnel at Seme unraveled her scheme in moments.
As investigations continue into her accomplices and the broader syndicate behind this operation, the NDLEA has reaffirmed its commitment to deploying advanced scanning technology, intelligence-led operations, and collaboration with border agencies to dismantle drug cartels, with Rabi Muhammad now in custody facing prosecution under relevant sections of the NDLEA Act.
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