By RhemDy News
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 101-year-old great grandmother, Esther Ogunmabo, for dealing in illicit drug.
Mama Ogunmano was apprehended on Saturday, August 15, 2026, in Ilisan, Ogun state, with retail sachets of skunk, a strain of cannabis weighing 90 grams, which she claims she sells to locals.
A statement on Sunday by NDLEA's Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi disclosed that the centenarian told operatives that she resorted to the illicit drug trade after her provisions shop was razed by fire, adding that one of her daughters, who resides in Lagos, arranges the supply of the substance to her every four days, which she in turn sold in bits.
However, in view of her advanced age, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) has directed that the suspect be granted bail and placed on counselling while her daughter has been arrested.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives in Akwa Ibom State acting on credible intelligence, on Friday, August 21, intercepted a wooden boat on the high seas conveying illicit drugs to fishing settlements in the Republic of Cameroon.
Three suspects who were arrested on board the boat, which was heading to Ine Isu, Ine Mbah and Ine Ikot Itie Udung fishing ports in Cameroon, include Etima Effiong Eekpo, 29, caught with 1.120kg skunk; Otobong Eyoh Etukudoh, 33, who had 42.060kg of skunk in his possession; and 27-year-old Kingsley Effiong John, who was found with 20grams of cocaine cleverly concealed inside a large wrap of edible cassava fufu, alongside 435grams of skunk.
A total of 42.622kg of narcotics was recovered from the trio.
In the nation's maritime space, the anti-narcotics agency recorded its first-ever seizure of illicit drugs shipped from Thailand through the maritime corridor, following the interception of two containers of cannabis indica, also known as Loud, at the Apapa and Lekki ports, with a combined street value put at over N4.4 billion.
Both containers were loaded at the Port of Laem Chabang in Thailand, underscoring the emergence of a new trafficking route being exploited by drug syndicates to smuggle synthetic cannabis into the country.
At the Apapa Port, a container, declared to be conveying dry fish, rice, vehicle spare parts, turmeric soap and inverter batteries, was found, during a joint examination of the shipment on Friday August 21 by NDLEA, Customs and others, to contain 1,090.5kg of Thai Loud packed in 54 cartons comprising 2,181 sachets of 500 grams each.
At the Lekki Deep Sea Port, a similar container, which had been placed on the agency's watchlist and monitored by its Marine Special Operations Unit, was jointly examined on Wednesday, August.19, 2026.
Out of the seven pallets found in the container wrapped in black nylon, four were confirmed to be laced with Thai Loud, yielding 96 cartons made up of 400 parcels weighing a total of 400kg.
The remaining three pallets contained 798 rims of A4 paper, which had been used as cover for the consignment.
In the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, NDLEA operatives on Saturday August 22, intercepted three waybill packages containing 24,410 pills of tramadol capsules inside a hummer bus travelling from Enugu to Zuba.
A follow-up operation conducted in Niger State led to the arrest of the owner of the consignment identified as 28-year-old Sunday Eze, in Kontagora, after which he was transferred to Abuja.
Operatives in Ondo State on Wednesday August 19 raided a cannabis farm at Ijare forest in Ifedore Local Government Area, following the earlier arrest of three suspected cannabis planters at the same location on August 16.
The team destroyed a total of 10,000kg of skunk cultivated across four hectares of the forest.
In a separate operation in the state, operatives same day at Ita-Ogbolu, Akure North LGA, recovered 210kg skunk and a Toyota Camry car with registration number AGL 223 JH belonging to Sylvester Dibiagu Anthony, who is currently at large.
In Kwara State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Ogbomosho-Ilorin Expressway, Ilorin on Friday August 21 intercepted a Toyota Starlet car without a registration number.
A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 1.325kg of methamphetamine, wrapped in black nylon bags, alongside quantities of cannabis sativa leading to the arrest of one Muhammadu Usman, 22.
A 65-year-old woman, Adebayo Kaosarat, was arrested at Akobo-Ojurin area of Ibadan, Oyo State on Friday August 21 with a cocktail of substances comprising 1.795kg of Scottish Loud, 1.66kg of tramadol, 600g of codeine syrup, 125g of diazepam and 50g of flunitrazepam, totalling 4.68kg.
A raid at Hadeija road, Kano, on Monday August 17 led to the arrest of Chibuzor Madueke, 31, with 98 blocks of skunk weighing 73.3kg recovered from him, while a similar operation by NDLEA operatives at Seme, Badagry area of Lagos led to the arrest of three family members comprising Nasiru Tijjani, 52; Moshood Tijjani, 27; and Salami Tijjani, 27, at Ashipa area, near the Seme border, with 48kg of skunk.
In Abia state, NDLEA officers on Thursday August 20 raided the residence of Ikechukwu Anthony Iwuno, 36, at Umuobia Olokoro area of Umuahia South LGA, where 14.4kg Loud, 2.3kg Colorado, 386grams of tramadol and 134grams of rohypnol were recovered.
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