A 101-year-old woman has been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for allegedly dealing in cannabis in Ogun State, while operatives have intercepted cocaine concealed inside cassava flour, commonly known as fufu, and seized illicit drugs worth billions of naira across several states.
The NDLEA said the centenarian, identified as Esther Ogunmabo, was arrested on Saturday, August 15, 2026, in Ilisan, Ogun State, with 90 grammes of skunk, a strain of cannabis, packaged in retail sachets.
According to the agency, Ogunmabo told investigators that she ventured into the illicit drug trade after her provisions shop was destroyed by fire. She reportedly said one of her daughters, who lives in Lagos, supplied her with the cannabis every four days, which she sold in small quantities to local residents.
Following the development, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), directed that the 101-year-old suspect be granted bail and placed on counselling due to her advanced age. Her daughter has, however, been arrested.
Cocaine concealed in fufu intercepted
In Akwa Ibom State, NDLEA operatives on Friday, August 21, intercepted a wooden boat on the high seas allegedly conveying illicit drugs to fishing settlements in Cameroon.
Three suspects were arrested aboard the vessel, which was reportedly heading towards Ine Isu, Ine Mbah and Ine Ikot Itie Udung fishing ports in Cameroon.
The suspects were identified as 29-year-old Etima Effiong Eekpo, who was found with 1.120kg of skunk; 33-year-old Otobong Eyoh Etukudoh, who had 42.060kg of skunk; and 27-year-old Kingsley Effiong John, who was allegedly carrying 20 grammes of cocaine concealed inside a large wrap of edible cassava fufu, alongside 435 grammes of skunk.
The agency said a total of 42.622kg of narcotics was recovered from the trio.
N4.4bn Loud seized at Lagos ports
The NDLEA also announced what it described as its first-ever seizure of illicit drugs shipped from Thailand through the maritime corridor, following the interception of two containers containing cannabis indica, popularly known as Loud, at the Apapa and Lekki ports in Lagos.
The combined street value of the seized consignment was put at more than N4.4 billion.
According to the agency, both containers originated from the Port of Laem Chabang, Thailand, pointing to the emergence of a new route allegedly being exploited by drug trafficking syndicates to smuggle synthetic cannabis into Nigeria.
At the Apapa Port, a container declared to contain dry fish, rice, vehicle spare parts, turmeric soap and inverter batteries was jointly examined by NDLEA operatives, the Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies on Friday, August 21.
The examination reportedly uncovered 1,090.5kg of Thai Loud packed in 54 cartons containing 2,181 sachets of 500 grammes each.
At the Lekki Deep Sea Port, another container that had been placed on the NDLEA watchlist and monitored by its Marine Special Operations Unit was examined on Wednesday, August 19.
The agency said four of the seven pallets in the container, wrapped in black nylon, contained 96 cartons comprising 400 parcels of Thai Loud weighing 400kg.
The remaining three pallets contained 798 rims of A4 paper, which investigators said had been used as a cover for the illicit consignment.
24,410 tramadol pills intercepted in Abuja
In the Federal Capital Territory, 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 in Niger State led to the arrest of the alleged owner of the consignment, 28-year-old Sunday Eze, in Kontagora. He was subsequently transferred to Abuja.
Meanwhile, in Ondo State, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday, August 19, raided a cannabis farm in Ijare Forest, Ifedore Local Government Area, following the earlier arrest of three suspected cannabis cultivators at the same location on August 16.
The agency said 10,000kg of skunk cultivated on four hectares of the forest was destroyed.
In another operation at Ita-Ogbolu, Akure North Local Government Area, 210kg of skunk and a Toyota Camry car were recovered. The vehicle, with registration number AGL 223 JH, was allegedly owned by Sylvester Dibiagu Anthony, who remains at large.
Methamphetamine, opioids recovered in other states
In Kwara State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Ogbomosho-Ilorin Expressway intercepted a Toyota Starlet without a registration number on Friday, August 21.
A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 1.325kg of methamphetamine and quantities of cannabis sativa. A 22-year-old suspect, Muhammadu Usman, was arrested.
In Oyo State, a 65-year-old woman, Adebayo Kaosarat, was arrested at Akobo-Ojuirin, Ibadan, on Friday with 4.68kg of assorted illicit substances.
The seized substances comprised 1.795kg of Scottish Loud, 1.66kg of tramadol, 600 grammes of codeine syrup, 125 grammes of diazepam and 50 grammes of flunitrazepam.
In Kano State, an operation at Hadeija Road on Monday, August 17, led to the arrest of 31-year-old Chibuzor Madueke with 98 blocks of skunk weighing 73.3kg.
Similarly, three members of the Tijjani family — Nasiru Tijjani, 52; Moshood Tijjani, 27; and Salami Tijjani, 27 — were arrested around Ashipa near the Seme border in Lagos State with 48kg of skunk.
In Abia State, NDLEA operatives on Thursday, August 20, raided the residence of 36-year-old Ikechukwu Anthony Iwuno in the Umuobia Olokoro area of Umuahia South Local Government Area.
The raid resulted in the recovery of 14.4kg of Loud, 2.3kg of Colorado, 386 grammes of tramadol and 134 grammes of Rohypnol.
