The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 101-year-old great-grandmother and several other suspected drug dealers in separate operations across the country, recovering large quantities of illicit substances, including cocaine allegedly concealed in edible cassava flour, popularly known as fufu.
NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, August 23, 2026.
In Ogun State, NDLEA operatives on August 15 arrested 101-year-old Esther Ogunmabo in Ilisan with 90 grammes of skunk, a strain of cannabis, packaged in retail sachets.
The centenarian reportedly told investigators that she resorted to selling the substance after her provisions shop was destroyed by fire. She also allegedly disclosed that one of her daughters, who resides in Lagos, supplied her with cannabis every four days for onward retail distribution.
Following her arrest, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), directed that Ogunmabo be granted bail and referred for counselling because of her advanced age. Her daughter was subsequently arrested.
In Akwa Ibom State, operatives on August 21 intercepted a wooden boat on the high seas allegedly transporting illicit drugs to fishing settlements in Cameroon.
Three suspects were arrested, while 42.622kg of narcotics was recovered.
One of the suspects, 27-year-old Kingsley Effiong John, was allegedly found with 20 grammes of cocaine concealed inside a large wrap of edible cassava fufu, alongside 435 grammes of skunk.
The other suspects were identified as 29-year-old Etima Effiong Eekpo, who allegedly had 1.120kg of skunk, and 33-year-old Otobong Eyoh Etukudoh, who was found with 42.060kg of the substance.
In Lagos, the NDLEA reported major interceptions of cannabis indica, popularly known as Loud, at the Apapa and Lekki Deep Sea ports, with the combined value of the seized consignments estimated at more than N4.4 billion.
At Apapa Port, operatives intercepted 1,090.5kg of Thai Loud concealed in a container declared to contain dry fish, rice, vehicle spare parts, turmeric soap and inverter batteries.
The container was jointly examined by the NDLEA, Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies on August 21, leading to the discovery of 2,181 sachets of the substance packed in 54 cartons.
At the Lekki Deep Sea Port, another monitored container was found to contain 400kg of Thai Loud concealed among pallets of A4 paper.
The agency said the two seizures represented its first recorded interception of illicit drugs shipped from Thailand through Nigeria's maritime corridor.
In the Federal Capital Territory, NDLEA operatives on August 22 intercepted three waybill packages containing 24,410 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.
The agency also reported significant arrests and seizures in other states.
In Ondo State, operatives destroyed 10,000kg of cannabis cultivated on four hectares of farmland in Ijare Forest, Ifedore Local Government Area, while another 210kg of skunk was recovered at Ita-Ogbolu in Akure North Local Government Area.
In Kwara State, 1.325kg of methamphetamine and quantities of cannabis were recovered from a Toyota Starlet intercepted along the Ogbomosho-Ilorin Expressway. A 22-year-old suspect, Muhammadu Usman, was arrested.
In Oyo State, 65-year-old Adebayo Kaosarat was arrested in Ibadan with 4.68kg of various illicit substances, including Loud, tramadol, codeine syrup, diazepam and flunitrazepam.
In Kano State, NDLEA operatives arrested 31-year-old Chibuzor Madueke with 73.3kg of skunk, while three members of a family were arrested near the Seme border in Lagos with 48kg of the substance.
In Abia State, operatives recovered 14.4kg of Loud, 2.3kg of Colorado, 386 grammes of tramadol and 134 grammes of Rohypnol from the residence of 36-year-old Ikechukwu Anthony Iwuno in Umuahia South Local Government Area.
The NDLEA said its commands nationwide also sustained its War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.
Marwa commended the officers involved in the operations and urged NDLEA personnel across the country to sustain the agency's comprehensive approach to combating drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking.
