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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has re-arrested an 83-year-old woman, Uloma Sunday, with consignments of methamphetamine and Colorado in Abia state, about 17 months after her first arrest.
Femi Babafemi, NDLEA director of media and advocacy, said in a statement on Sunday that the woman was arrested on October 7 at her residence in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, Obingwa LGA, with the substances concealed around her waist with a wrapper.
Babafemi said the arrest followed intelligence indicating that Sunday operated a drug joint where criminal elements who terrorised the community gathered.
He said the woman was first arrested on May 17, 2025, alongside her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi, at the same residence, with 50 grammes of methamphetamine, 522 grammes of skunk, 260 grammes of fresh cannabis leaves and 12 grammes of tramadol.
According to the statement, both women pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment or a N200,000 fine each, which they paid before their release.
SOUTH AFRICAN ARRESTED WITH 32.74KG OF CANNABIS
Babafemi said NDLEA operatives, working with the Nigeria Customs Service, arrested a South African woman, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, with 32.74 kilogrammes of Thai Loud, a strain of cannabis, at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Rivers state.
South African woman
He said the 30 parcels of cannabis were concealed in two travelling bags belonging to the suspect, who arrived from Thailand via Doha aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1431.
According to Babafemi, the suspect confessed to previously trafficking drugs through other African countries before attempting to expand her route to Port Harcourt.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted 354,000 tablets of tapentadol, weighing 307.20 kilogrammes, in a shipment of nine cartons from Pakistan aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight.
Babafemi said the consignment was placed under surveillance upon arrival on September 29, while a joint examination conducted on October 6 uncovered the tablets.
He said operatives also intercepted 70 parcels of Colorado weighing 75.90 kilogrammes in six Ghana-Must-Go bags contained in a consolidated cargo from the United Kingdom, which arrived on September 29.
“A clearing agent, John Edrah, 54, was the first suspect to be arrested on 30th September. Thereafter, Taofiq Ajibola, 54, an Uber driver, was arrested while collecting one of the bags at a logistics company in Mafoluku area of Oshodi, followed by Adetunji Adebayo and Kazeem Damola Dosunmu, 48, a clothing trader, who came for the remaining five,” Babafemi said.
“Ajibola said the drugs were sent by a UK-based associate, Lukman Sa’idu, while Dosunmu said his own consignments came from another UK-based man identified as Yusuf.”
OVER 3,000KG OF CANNABIS SEIZED IN STATES
Babafemi said NDLEA operatives arrested Adama Inuwa, 46, during a raid on Iyala Nkun village in Ikom LGA, Cross River state, on October 4, recovering 181 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 1,100 kilogrammes and 17.15 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds.
In Edo state, operatives intercepted a black Toyota Camry conveying 1,049 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 702.83 kilogrammes at Otuo, Owan East LGA, on October 5.
Babafemi said Monday Orji, 52, Monday Lawal, 40, and Precious Uduegele, 20, were arrested in connection with the seizure.
He added that another suspect, Ojugo Mercy, 26, was arrested at Asoro, off Sakponba Road, Benin City, with 989 grammes of Loud, 13 grammes of Colorado and 83 grammes of methamphetamine.
In Ondo state, Babafemi said operatives arrested Happy Endurance, 21, at her hideout in the Shasha area of Akure on October 5, recovering 29 bags of cannabis weighing 290 kilogrammes.
He said another raid on an apartment in Oba-Ile, Akure, on the same day led to the arrest of Tunde Adebayo, 42, with 35 bags of cannabis weighing 351 kilogrammes.
In Kaduna state, NDLEA operatives arrested Mohammed Musa, 29, during a patrol along the Zaria-Kaduna expressway, recovering 31 jumbo bags of skunk and 775 blocks of the substance weighing a combined 1,027 kilogrammes.
Babafemi said a suspect, Musbau Balogun Adekunle, was also arrested in Orile, Lagos, on October 6, with 32.51 kilogrammes of skunk and 52.65 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds.
In Taraba state, operatives, supported by soldiers, arrested Abdulrasheed Mohamed, 31, and Abubakar Saidu, 37, at Chanchanji village in Wukari LGA on October 9, recovering 166,200 tablets of tramadol 225mg weighing 107 kilogrammes.
Babafemi said a stop-and-search operation along the Kano-Maiduguri road on the same day led to the arrest of Yahaya Musa, 32, with 24,990 capsules of tramadol, 50,000 tablets of diazepam and 22,000 tablets of Exol-5.
NDLEA RECOVERS RIFLES, AMMUNITION IN JOS
Babafemi said NDLEA operatives arrested Christian Chukwudi Uju, 45, at his residence on Rukuba Road, Jos, Plateau state, on October 8, recovering illicit drugs, firearms and ammunition.
He said the items recovered included 47 grammes of methamphetamine, two pump-action rifles, a locally made gun, 199 live cartridges, five rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and one round of 9mm ammunition.
The statement added that NDLEA commands across the country also conducted public sensitisation activities under the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse campaign in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities during the week.
The activities included awareness lectures at Progressive Grammar School in Tede, Oyo state; Ehugbo Technical College in Afikpo, Ebonyi state; Baptist High School in Lambata, Niger state; and schools in Kano, Lagos and Ogun states.
Babafemi said Buba Marwa, NDLEA chairman, commended the operatives involved for their intelligence-driven operations.
He said Marwa urged officers nationwide to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control
