NDLEA Arrests 83-Year-Old Convicted Grandmother, South African Woman with Illicit Drugs

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested an 83-year-old grandmother, Uloma Uchechi Sunday, for alleged drug trafficking, barely a year after she was convicted for a similar offence, as operatives uncovered large consignments of illicit drugs across several states.

The agency also arrested a South African woman, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Rivers State, with 32.74 kilogrammes of cannabis concealed in two travelling bags.

The arrests were part of intelligence-led operations conducted across Lagos, Rivers, Abia, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Cross River, Ondo and Plateau states, during which officers seized thousands of kilogrammes of cannabis and other illicit substances, including methamphetamine, Colorado, tramadol and diazepam.

The NDLEA also recovered assorted firearms and ammunition during a raid in Plateau State.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the 83-year-old woman was arrested on Wednesday, October 7, at her residence in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State.

The octogenarian was reportedly found with quantities of methamphetamine and Colorado, a synthetic cannabinoid, concealed around her waist with a wrapper.

Her arrest followed intelligence reports indicating that she allegedly operated a notorious drug joint that provided shelter for criminal elements accused of terrorising the community.

The latest arrest comes after her first encounter with the NDLEA on May 17, 2025, when she was arrested at the same residence alongside her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi.

During that operation, the agency recovered 50 grammes of methamphetamine, 522 grammes of skunk, 260 grammes of fresh cannabis leaves and 12 grammes of tramadol from the suspects.

The statement said both women pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment or an option of a ₦200,000 fine each. They reportedly paid the fines and were released.

However, the NDLEA alleged that the older woman subsequently returned to the illicit drug trade and established a drug joint where she allegedly accommodated dangerous characters.

In a related operation at the Port Harcourt International Airport, NDLEA operatives, working in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service, arrested Jessie, a South African national, with 30 parcels of Thai Loud, a potent cannabis variety weighing 32.74kg.

The suspect reportedly travelled from Thailand through Doha, Qatar, aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1431.

According to the agency, she confessed to having previously trafficked illicit drugs through other African countries and was attempting to extend her operations to Port Harcourt when she was intercepted.

At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, operatives also intercepted a shipment of 354,000 tablets of tapentadol, a potent opioid painkiller, weighing 307.20kg.

The consignment, comprising nine cartons shipped from Pakistan aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight, had been placed under surveillance following its arrival on September 29. A joint examination conducted on October 6 uncovered the tablets, each reportedly containing 250mg of the substance.

In another operation at the Lagos airport, NDLEA officers intercepted a consolidated cargo from the United Kingdom containing 70 parcels of Colorado weighing 75.90kg.

The consignment, packed in six Ghana-Must-Go bags, had arrived on September 29 and was subsequently monitored as operatives tracked those linked to its collection.

A clearing agent, 54-year-old John Edrah, was arrested on September 30. He was followed by Taofiq Ajibola, 54, an Uber driver, who was apprehended while collecting one of the bags at a logistics company in Mafoluku, Oshodi.

Adetunji Adebayo and 48-year-old Kazeem Damola Dosunmu, a clothing trader, were subsequently arrested when they allegedly arrived to collect the remaining five bags.

The NDLEA said Ajibola identified a UK-based associate, Lukman Sa’idu, as the person who sent his consignment, while Dosunmu reportedly said his drugs came from another UK-based individual identified as Yusuf.

The agency also recorded major seizures in Cross River State, where operatives raided Iyala Nkun village in Ikom Local Government Area on October 4, arresting 46-year-old Adama Inuwa.

The operation led to the recovery of 181 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 1,100kg, alongside 17.15kg of cannabis seeds.

In Edo State, operatives intercepted a black Toyota Camry at Otuo, Owan East Local Government Area, on October 5. A search of the vehicle uncovered 1,049 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 702.83kg.

Three suspects — Monday Orji, 52; Monday Lawal, 40; and Precious Uduegele, 20 — were arrested in connection with the seizure.

In a separate operation in Benin City, officers arrested 26-year-old Ojugo Mercy at Asoro, off Sakponba Road, with 989 grammes of Loud, 13 grammes of Colorado and 83 grammes of methamphetamine.

Ondo State also featured prominently in the agency’s operations, with operatives arresting 21-year-old Happy Endurance at her hideout in the Shasha area of Akure on October 5.

The officers reportedly recovered 29 bags of cannabis weighing 290kg from the location.

On the same day, a raid on an apartment in Oba-Ile, Akure, led to the arrest of 42-year-old Tunde Adebayo and the seizure of another 35 bags of cannabis weighing 351kg.

In Taraba State, NDLEA operatives, supported by soldiers, arrested Abdulrasheed Mohamed, 31, and Abubakar Saidu, 37, at Chanchanji village in Wukari Local Government Area on October 9.

The suspects were allegedly found with 166,200 tablets of tramadol, each reportedly containing 225mg, with a combined weight of 107kg.

In Kano State, a stop-and-search operation along the Kano-Maiduguri Road on the same day led to the arrest of 32-year-old Yahaya Musa.

The officers recovered 24,990 capsules of tramadol, 50,000 tablets of diazepam and 22,000 tablets of Exol-5 from the suspect.

Similarly, NDLEA operatives patrolling the Zaria-Kaduna Expressway arrested 29-year-old Mohammed Musa with 31 jumbo bags of skunk and 775 blocks of the same substance, with a combined weight of 1,027kg.

In Lagos, a suspect identified as Musbau Balogun Adekunle was arrested in the Orile area on October 6 with 32.51kg of skunk and 52.65kg of cannabis seeds, bringing the total seizure to 85.16kg.

Meanwhile, the agency’s operations in Plateau State resulted in the recovery of illicit drugs, firearms and ammunition.

During a raid on the residence of 45-year-old Christian Chukwudi Uju at Rukuba Road, Jos, on October 8, operatives seized 47 grammes of methamphetamine, two pump-action rifles, one locally made gun, 199 live cartridges, five rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and one round of 9mm ammunition.

Beyond the arrests and seizures, the NDLEA said its commands and formations across the country continued public enlightenment activities under its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign.

The sensitisation exercises were conducted in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities to educate members of the public about the dangers of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.

Among the institutions reached were Progressive Grammar School, Tede, Oyo State; Ehugbo Technical College, Afikpo, Ebonyi State; Baptist High School, Lambata, Niger State; Madarasatul Tarbiyatul Islamiya, Galangalan Tudun Wada, Kano State; Ipara Senior and Junior Community Secondary School, Badagry, Lagos State; and Manbahu Ridwanullah Nursery and Primary School, Olomore, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers and men of the Lagos, MMIA, Port Harcourt International Airport, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Cross River, Ondo and Plateau commands for what he described as their professionalism and intelligence-driven operations.

Marwa urged officers across the country to sustain the agency’s current approach to drug control, combining enforcement operations with public education and community engagement.

The latest seizures underscore the continuing challenge posed by illicit drug trafficking in Nigeria, with the operations exposing alleged domestic distribution networks, international supply routes and attempts to move large quantities of controlled substances through airports, roads and residential locations.