Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have recorded major breakthroughs in their nationwide crackdown on illicit drug trafficking, arrested a 101-year-old woman for alleged cannabis dealing, intercepted cocaine concealed in cassava flour popularly known as fufu, and seized more than N4.4 billion worth of Thai loud at the Apapa and Lekki ports in Lagos.
According to the director of media and advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, the operations also resulted in the recovery of methamphetamine, skunk, tramadol, codeine, diazepam, flunitrazepam, and other illicit substances across several states, while exposing a possible new maritime route for the smuggling of synthetic cannabis from Thailand into Nigeria.
In a rare and startling development, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, 15th August 2026, arrested a 101-year-old woman, Esther Ogunmabo, in Ilisan, Ogun State, with retail sachets of skunk, a strain of cannabis weighing 90 grams, which she claims she sells to locals.
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.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), has, however, directed that the suspect be granted bail and placed on counselling because of her advanced age, while her daughter has been arrested.
In Akwa Ibom, operatives intercepted a wooden boat allegedly conveying drugs to fishing settlements in Cameroon.
Three suspects were arrested, with 42.622 kg of narcotics recovered, including 20 grammes of cocaine cleverly concealed inside a wrap of fufu.
At the Lagos ports, two containers from Laem Chabang, Thailand, yielded 1,490.5 kg of Thai Loud valued at over N4.4 billion.
The Apapa container, declared to contain assorted goods, concealed 1,090.5 kg of the drug in 54 cartons, while 400 kg was recovered from a container at Lekki Deep Sea Port, where A4 paper was allegedly used as cover.
In Abuja, 24,410 tramadol pills concealed in three waybill packages inside a Hummer bus travelling from Enugu to Zuba were intercepted, leading to the arrest of 28-year-old Sunday Eze in Kontagora, Niger State.
The NDLEA also destroyed 10,000 kg of skunk cultivated across four hectares at Ijare Forest, Ondo State, and recovered another 210 kg in a separate operation.
In Kwara State, 1.325 kg of methamphetamine and cannabis were recovered from a Toyota Starlet, leading to the arrest of 22-year-old Muhammadu Usman.
In Oyo State, 65-year-old Adebayo Kaosarat was arrested with 4.68 kg of assorted illicit substances, including Loud, tramadol, codeine, diazepam, and flunitrazepam.
At Seme, Lagos, three members of the Tijjani family were arrested with 48 kg of skunk, while Kano operatives recovered 73.3 kg from 31-year-old Chibuzor Madueke.
In Abia State, a raid on the residence of Ikechukwu Anthony Iwuno yielded 14.4 kg of Loud, 2.3 kg of Colorado, tramadol, and Rohypnol.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, religious institutions, and communities across the country.
Commending the various commands, Marwa urged personnel to sustain intelligence-led operations against drug trafficking while strengthening prevention and public awareness efforts.
Packaged by Lanre Olabisi
