VIDEO: NDLEA uncovers cocaine hidden in ‘aso ebi’

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered cocaine concealed in traditional Nigerian clothing materials popularly known as ‘aso ebi’.

This was revealed in a video uploaded on Sunday morning on the official X (formerly Twitter) account of the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi.

The video showed cocaine ingeniously hidden inside traditional male caps (fila) and female headgears (gele), typically worn at social events.

“In case you’re asked to help take as part of your luggage to Europe or elsewhere any aso ebi fila and gele (traditional male cap and female headgear), the latest seizure of cocaine concealed in such materials uncovered by @ndlea_nigeria will make you think twice. Take a look,” Babafemi wrote in the post.

The exact location and identities of the individuals involved in the attempted trafficking were not disclosed as of the time of the post.

The NDLEA has recently intensified efforts to combat drug trafficking through unconventional concealment methods.

This latest discovery ties into a series of recent interceptions by the agency.

In a related operation, Tribune Online reports that the NDLEA thwarted a desperate attempt by a woman, Ihensekhien Miracle Obehi, who disguised herself in a hijab to export cocaine concealed in her private parts, stomach, and the false bottom of her handbag to Iran via Port Harcourt International Airport, Rivers State. Obehi was intercepted on 3rd May 2025 while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Iran via Doha

According to Babafemi, “during a search, she was found to have inserted three wraps of cocaine in her private parts, while two large parcels were hidden in false compartments of her handbag.” Additionally, she had swallowed 67 pellets of cocaine. She was placed under excretion observation and expelled the pellets over several days. The total weight of the drugs was 2.523 kilograms.

Also, on 9th May, NDLEA operatives at Lagos International Airport intercepted a 22-year-old British national, Campell Kaizra Kofi Johannes Slifer, who arrived from Thailand via Doha. He was found with two suitcases containing 35 parcels of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 37.60kg.

In Lagos, two suspects were arrested in the Ijora area with 109,914 pills of tramadol, swinol, and nitrazepam. Similarly, 52.5kg of skunk was seized from two suspects in Gwantu, Kaduna State, while another suspect was caught in Kwara State with 45,400 pills of tramadol.

The agency stated that its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign continues nationwide. The NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Rtd), commended personnel across various commands for their vigilance and efforts in curbing drug trafficking and abuse.