The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 62-year-old Nigerian-American socialite, Gloria Anetor Ubong-Okulaja, popularly known as ‘Glow’, over the alleged importation of 9.45 kilogrammes of cannabis into Nigeria.
Ubong-Okulaja was apprehended on October 21 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, after arriving from Houston, Texas, aboard a United Airlines flight.
According to the NDLEA, operatives discovered 18 parcels of loud, a cannabis strain, weighing 9.45kg during a search of her two checked-in boxes.
The substance was allegedly concealed with gift-wrapping paper inside a box in her luggage.
The suspect, a realtor based in Richmond, Texas, who holds Nigerian and United States passports, reportedly told investigators that her daughter and her daughter’s future brother-in-law had delivered the package to her residence in the United States.
She allegedly said the consignment was intended for onward delivery in Nigeria to her daughter’s fiancé, identified as Jibola.
The NDLEA said investigations were ongoing to establish the full chain of those allegedly involved in the shipment, including the intended recipient.
### Another Suspect Arrested in Lagos
In a separate operation in Lagos, operatives of the agency’s special operations unit arrested 41-year-old Eletu Rasheedat in the Eti-Osa area on October 23.
The operation reportedly led to the recovery of 5,820 diazepam pills, 780 tramadol tablets, 3.7 kilogrammes of skunk and 230.25 litres of skuchies.
The NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain their efforts against drug trafficking.
### ‘Glow’ Name Raises Questions
The arrest has also drawn attention to Ubong-Okulaja’s reported use of the name Mrs Okulaja on social media.
Her Facebook handle, Glow Okulaja, reportedly identifies her as the wife of Demola Okulaja.
However, the report said it could not independently establish whether she was legally married to Prince Demola Okulaja or was his partner.
It further stated that Demola Okulaja was married to skincare entrepreneur Farida Sobowale, who reportedly attempted suicide several years ago when she wanted to jump into the ocean from the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.
The NDLEA identified the arrested woman as Gloria Anetor Ubong-Okulaja. The agency’s investigation into the alleged drug shipment remains ongoing.
