The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two octogenarians—an 80-year-old man and an 82-year-old woman—among several other suspects in a sweeping nationwide operation that intercepted drugs worth more than N3.2 billion. The elderly suspects were apprehended in Kaduna and Abia states, respectively, for their roles in long-standing and intergenerational drug trafficking activities.
In Kaduna, 80-year-old Ayuba Ashiru was arrested on May 14 at Barazana Street, Dogarawa, Sabon Gari LGA. A convicted drug dealer who served a 10-year sentence from 2014 to 2024, Ashiru was caught once again with 2.3 kilograms of skunk wrapped in nylons and papers for retail. He admitted during interrogation that he had been involved in the illicit drug trade for 46 years.
In a related bust in Abia State on May 17, operatives raided the home of 82-year-old Mrs. Uloma Uchechi Sunday in Umuaguma Ntigha Uzor village. The operation led to the recovery of methamphetamine, tramadol, skunk, and a cash exhibit of N130,600. Also arrested was her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi. The grandmother confessed that she and her daughter continued the drug trade after the death of her son, the original operator of the illicit business.
Massive Opioid Seizures at Apapa and Port Harcourt Ports
Two separate major seizures at Nigeria’s ports accounted for over N3.2 billion worth of intercepted opioids. On May 14, NDLEA operatives, in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, intercepted a shipment at Port Harcourt Ports complex in Onne, Rivers State. The container held 3 million pills of Tapentadol and Carisoprodol Royal 225mg with a street value of N2.1 billion.
Just a day earlier, on May 13, another container declared as carrying car parts and accessories from India was intercepted at the Apapa seaport in Lagos. Joint security inspections revealed it concealed 169,800 bottles of codeine syrup valued at over N1.1 billion. The shipments were part of an intelligence-led watchlist coordinated by NDLEA’s Directorate of Operations.
These seizures highlight the growing trend of sophisticated concealment techniques by international drug trafficking networks, prompting NDLEA to intensify surveillance and intelligence-sharing at Nigeria’s key import entry points.
Student-Dealer Arrested in Kwara, Cocaine Found in Headgear Heading to Australia
In Ilorin, Kwara State, NDLEA officers on May 16 arrested Abdulwahab Quadir and Abdulraheem Ismail with 199,200 pills of tramadol at the Gegele area. Further raids at Favour Lodge in the state capital led to the arrest of HND 1 student Ibrahim Oladimeji Abdulateef of Kwara State Polytechnic’s Laboratory Science Technology Department. He was caught with 650 grams of Loud cannabis, already divided into 149 cups for resale to fellow students.
Meanwhile, on the same day in Lagos, NDLEA operatives at a courier company intercepted 250 grams of cocaine cleverly hidden in a female headgear bound for Australia. This interception, made possible by the agency’s Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI), underscores the use of creative smuggling methods aimed at evading detection through courier services.
These arrests and seizures serve as a disturbing reminder of how drug trafficking permeates academic institutions and how traffickers increasingly exploit fashion and personal items as concealment tools for illicit export.
Firearms and Heavy Drug Hauls Across Multiple States
In a separate security breach, a 29-year-old suspect, Ismail Isah, was intercepted by NDLEA operatives along the Abuja-Kaduna highway on May 16 with an AK-47 rifle and two magazines hidden in a sack of maize. He has since been handed over to appropriate security agencies for further investigation, pointing to a troubling intersection between drug and arms trafficking.
Elsewhere, large quantities of drugs were seized across the country. In Niger State, 316 blocks of skunk weighing 143kg were found in a Toyota Carina, with one suspect, Idris Kamal, arrested. Further arrests on May 15 in the same state and in Nasarawa, Lagos, Jigawa, and Taraba States resulted in the recovery of hundreds of kilograms of cannabis and thousands of pills of psychoactive substances.
Notably, in Nasarawa, a 60-year-old man, Welman Kengbo, was arrested with nearly 595kg of skunk in the Karu area, while in Lagos, Toheeb Oyenuga was nabbed with 67.5kg along the Lekki-Epe expressway. In Jigawa, 35-year-old Tijjani Mohammed was caught with 198kg of skunk in Malamawa, Garki LGA.
NDLEA Continues Public Sensitization as Marwa Commends Operatives
As part of its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, the NDLEA continued sensitization outreach across schools in several states. Awareness lectures were delivered at Supreme International School in Kano; Al-Arifeen International Academy in Kaduna; Nadado Primary School in Katsina; Ila Orangun Grammar School in Osun; and Government Secondary School in Onne, Rivers State.
Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the outstanding efforts of officers in Kaduna, Abia, Kwara, Lagos, Rivers, Nasarawa, Niger, Taraba, and Jigawa states for their vigilance and commitment. He praised their ability to balance both drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction effectively, urging them to sustain the momentum.
According to Marwa, the sweeping success of the week’s operations underscores the agency’s capacity to dismantle long-standing drug networks, curtail cross-border trafficking, and protect vulnerable communities from the harmful effects of narcotics.
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