NDLEA Nabs Two Elderly Drug Suppliers, Uncovers Massive Drug Hauls
By Anne Osemekeh, Abuja
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two elderly men in Abia State for allegedly supplying illicit drugs to secondary school students.
NDLEA’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, made this known on Sunday, saying that operatives across the country recorded major seizures and arrests in a series of anti-narcotics operations.
Babafemi revealed that the suspects, identified as 84-year-old Godfrey Orji and 75-year-old Godwin Obulunbiya Obiora, were arrested in Umuahia following intelligence reports linking them to the sale of illicit substances to teenagers.
According to him, Obiora was apprehended on June 19 after a search of his patent medicine store at Club Road, Umuahia, led to the recovery of 4.64 kilograms of opioids, including tramadol and diazepam. Orji, a pensioner, was arrested after allegedly supplying drugs to two students of Saint Silas Secondary School, Old Umuahia. Security personnel at the school reportedly intercepted the transaction and handed the suspects over to law enforcement authorities.
One of the affected students, a 15-year-old SS2 pupil, reportedly told investigators that he purchased drugs from the elderly suspect and resold them to fellow students. While the suspects are expected to face prosecution, the students have been enrolled in counselling and rehabilitation programmes.
In a separate operation in Lagos, NDLEA officers intercepted a shipment of ADB Chminaca, a synthetic cannabinoid classified as a dangerous new psychoactive substance. The 9.5-kilogram consignment, concealed in a carton and imported from China, was seized at a courier company. Another operation uncovered 300 grams of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, hidden inside ladies’ handbags destined for Dubai.
The agency also intensified its crackdown on drug trafficking networks across the country. In Lagos, operatives raided the residence of a wanted drug dealer, Lukman Badmus, alias Lukman Ogombo, in the Ajah area, recovering bottles of codeine syrup and quantities of cannabis. Follow-up operations led to additional seizures and the arrest of his wife, who allegedly attempted to destroy evidence during the raid.
Along the Okene–Lokoja highway in Kogi State, NDLEA officers intercepted a suspect travelling from Lagos to Abuja with 1.03 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed inside custard containers. In Ekiti State, a wanted couple linked to an earlier seizure of 117 kilograms of cannabis were arrested after months on the run.
In Oyo State, operatives arrested a 75-year-old woman, Tudun Olubiyi, alongside two accomplices after recovering 118 jumbo bags containing 1,416 kilograms of skunk concealed beneath sawdust.
The agency also recorded significant successes in Edo State, where operatives destroyed 1,744 kilograms of cannabis on a forest plantation in Owan East Local Government Area and recovered an additional 169 kilograms of processed cannabis. Another operation in Esan South Local Government Area led to the destruction of 2,424.9 kilograms of cannabis, while a suspect was arrested with 395 kilograms of skunk in a related operation.
Beyond enforcement activities, the NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, conducting sensitisation programmes in schools and communities across Ekiti, Kano, Nasarawa, Katsina, Anambra and Rivers states.
Commending officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised their efforts in reducing drug supply while simultaneously expanding public awareness campaigns against drug abuse. He urged personnel nationwide to remain steadfast in the agency’s fight against narcotics trafficking and abuse.
The latest operations underscore the agency’s sustained offensive against drug trafficking networks and its growing concern over the exposure of school-age children to illicit substances.
