Octogenarian Ex-Convict, Grandma Among Dozens Arrested as NDLEA Intercepts N3.2bn Worth of Illicit Drugs
…Cocaine concealed in female headgear; AK-47 hidden in maize sack; polytechnic student nabbed for peddling cannabis to schoolmates
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested two octogenarians, including an 80-year-old ex-convict and an 82-year-old grandmother, in separate operations across Nigeria.
According to a statement signed by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media and Advocacy at the NDLEA, the arrests were made alongside the seizure of opioids and other psychoactive substances with an estimated street value exceeding N3.2 billion.
Leading the list of arrests is Ayuba Ashiru, an 80-year-old man and previously convicted drug dealer, who had served a 10-year sentence between 2014 and 2024.
Ayuba was apprehended once again on Wednesday, 14th May 2025, at Barazana Street in the Dogarawa area of Sabon Gari Local Government Area, Kaduna State.
Acting on credible intelligence, NDLEA officers recovered 2.3 kilograms of cannabis sativa (skunk) already packaged in nylons and paper wraps for retail. Ashiru reportedly confessed to having engaged in illicit drug trafficking for the past 46 years.
In a similar operation in Abia State, NDLEA operatives raided the home of 82-year-old Mrs Uloma Uchechi Sunday at Umuaguma Ntigha Uzor village on Saturday, 17th May.
Found in possession of methamphetamine, tramadol, and skunk, she was arrested alongside her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi. A sum of N130,600 in cash was also recovered as evidence.
Mrs Sunday admitted that she and her daughter continued the drug trade following the death of her son, who had initiated the illicit business two years ago.
Massive seizures were also recorded at Nigeria’s major ports. At the Port Harcourt Port Complex in Onne, Rivers State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a container holding three million pills of tapentadol and carisoprodol Royal 225mg, with an estimated street value of N2.1 billion.
The seizure, made on Wednesday, 14th May, resulted from intelligence-led tracking and a joint examination with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.
Similarly, at the Apapa seaport in Lagos, a container falsely declared as carrying car parts and accessories from India was intercepted on Tuesday, 13th May. Inside were 169,800 bottles of codeine syrup, with a street value of over N1.1 billion, cleverly concealed within the shipment.
In Kwara State, a combined raid and patrol led to the arrest of two suspects, Abdulwahab Quadir and Abdulraheem Ismail, from whom 199,200 pills of tramadol were recovered on Friday, 16th May.
In a related operation, Ibrahim Oladimeji Abdulateef, an HND 1 student of the Laboratory Science Technology Department at the Kwara State Polytechnic, was apprehended at Favour Lodge with 650 grams of Loud – a potent strain of cannabis – already portioned into 149 cups, allegedly for sale to fellow students.
Further south in Lagos, NDLEA operatives from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) uncovered 250 grams of cocaine hidden in a female headgear intended for export to Australia. The interception was made on Friday, 16th May, at a courier company.
In Niger State, multiple operations yielded significant seizures. On Thursday, 15th May, a Toyota Carina vehicle with registration AGL 945 BK was intercepted along Mokwa-Jebba Road.
It was found to be conveying 316 blocks of skunk weighing 143 kilograms. The driver, Idris Kamal, 35, was arrested. Later that day, operatives at Chachi Junction on the Kaduna Road arrested 26-year-old Emmanuel Hassan with 14.3 kilograms of Loud.
A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the consignment’s true owner, 39-year-old Bello Aliyu, also known as “Liti”.
In Nasarawa State, 60-year-old Welman Kengbo was arrested with a staggering 594.8 kilograms of skunk on Friday, 16th May in the Karu area.
In Lagos, Oyenuga Toheeb was intercepted along the Lekki-Epe Expressway with 67.5 kilograms of the same drug on Thursday, 15th May.
Elsewhere, in Taraba State, a 22-year-old suspect, Shafiu Ismail, was caught with 5,350 pills of tramadol and diazepam on Thursday, 15th May in Sabonlayin, Jalingo Local Government Area. That same day in Jigawa State, Tijjani Mohammed, 35, was arrested with 198 kilograms of skunk in Malamawa, Garki LGA. Perhaps most startling was the discovery of a loaded assault rifle concealed in food items.
On Friday, 16th May, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Abuja-Kaduna highway intercepted a 29-year-old suspect, Ismail Isah, who was found in possession of an AK-47 rifle and two magazines hidden inside a sack of maize. The suspect is to be handed over to relevant security agencies for further investigation.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy efforts across Nigeria. Enlightenment lectures and sensitisation campaigns were held in several schools including Supreme International School in Fagge, Kano; Al-Arifeen International Academy in Kaduna; Nadado Primary School, Bakori in Katsina; Ila Orangun Grammar School in Osun; and Government Secondary School in Onne, Rivers State.
Commending the relentless efforts of NDLEA operatives, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), lauded the various commands across the federation for their combined work in drug supply reduction and drug demand control.
“These arrests and seizures are further proof of our resolve to dismantle the illicit drug network plaguing our communities. We will not relent,” he stated.
