Lagos (CHATNEWSTV) — An 80-year-old ex-convict and an 82-year-old grandmother are among dozens arrested across Nigeria as the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) uncovered opioids worth over ₦3.2 billion in Lagos, Rivers, and other states, officials said Sunday.
Ayuba Ashiru, who previously served a 10-year sentence for drug offenses, was arrested Wednesday in Kaduna State with 2.3 kilograms of cannabis, NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi said.
“He confessed to being in the drug trade for 46 years,” Babafemi said in a statement.
In Abia State, 82-year-old Uloma Uchechi Sunday and her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi, were arrested Saturday after NDLEA officers raided their home in Umuaguma Ntigha Uzor village. Officers seized methamphetamine, tramadol, cannabis, and ₦130,600 in cash.
“The grandma confessed that she and her daughter took over the trade after her son died two years ago,” Babafemi said.
Meanwhile, authorities intercepted a massive shipment of pills and codeine at seaports. In Onne, Rivers State, 3 million pills of tapentadol and carisoprodol worth ₦2.1 billion were seized from a watch-listed container. A similar operation at Lagos’ Apapa port led to the recovery of 169,800 bottles of codeine syrup, valued at ₦1.1 billion, concealed in car parts imported from India.
In Kwara State, officers arrested a student dealer. Ibrahim Oladimeji Abdulateef, an HND 1 student at Kwara State Polytechnic, was caught with 650 grams of cannabis (Loud) divided into 149 cups for sale. He was arrested during a raid at Favour Lodge in Ilorin.
Other major busts included:
Lagos courier hub: 250 grams of cocaine hidden in a woman’s headgear headed to Australia.
Niger State: 143 kg of cannabis found in a car on Mokwa-Jebba road; another 14.3 kg of Loud linked to two suspects.
Nasawara: A 60-year-old man, Welman Kengbo, arrested with nearly 595 kg of cannabis.
Lagos: A suspect caught with 67.5 kg of cannabis on Lekki-Epe expressway.
Taraba and Jigawa: Over 200 kg of skunk and 5,350 pills of tramadol and diazepam seized.
Abuja-Kaduna highway: NDLEA intercepted a 29-year-old man with an AK-47 rifle and two magazines hidden inside a maize sack.
NDLEA Chairman Buba Marwa praised the agency’s officers for balancing drug supply crackdowns with awareness efforts. Lectures were delivered at schools across Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Osun, and Rivers states under the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign.
“These arrests and seizures underscore the scope of our operations and the determination of our officers,” Marwa said.
