NDLEA arrests 101-year-old great-grandmother, intercepts N4.4 billion worth of illicit drugs

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 101-year-old great-grandmother for allegedly dealing in cannabis and intercepted consignments of illicit drugs worth more than N4.4 billion across Nigeria.

The NDLEA disclosed the developments in a statement issued on Sunday, August 23, 2026, by its Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, detailing a series of operations conducted across the country’s land and maritime borders during the past week.

The operations were carried out in Ogun, Akwa Ibom, Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory, Ondo, Kwara, Oyo, Kano and Abia states, with seizures ranging from cannabis, cocaine and methamphetamine to tramadol, codeine, diazepam and rohypnol.

What they are saying

The NDLEA said its latest operations covered drug trafficking activities across Nigeria’s land and maritime borders, with major seizures recorded in Lagos, Akwa Ibom, Ogun, Ondo, Oyo, Kwara, Kano, Abia and the FCT.

The agency highlighted the arrest of 101-year-old Esther Ogunmabo in Ilisan, Ogun State, on August 15, with 90 grams of skunk packaged in retail sachets. The centenarian reportedly told operatives that she sold the cannabis to locals after her provisions shop was destroyed by fire.

NDLEA said one of her daughters, who lives in Lagos, allegedly supplied the drug to her every four days. However, because of her advanced age, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), directed that Ogunmabo be granted bail and placed on counselling, while her daughter was arrested.

In Akwa Ibom, operatives intercepted a wooden boat on the high seas on August 21 that was allegedly transporting drugs to fishing settlements in Cameroon. Three suspects were arrested with a combined 42.622kg of narcotics, including 43.18kg? Wait — the source says 42.622kg total, comprising skunk and cocaine, with 20 grams of cocaine concealed inside a large wrap of edible cassava fufu.

• The NDLEA recorded its first-ever seizure of illicit drugs shipped from Thailand through the maritime corridor, intercepting two containers of Thai Loud at the Apapa and Lekki ports in Lagos with a combined street value of more than N4.4 billion.
• “Both containers were loaded at the Port of Laem Chabang, Thailand,”the agency said, describing the development as evidence of an emerging trafficking route being exploited by drug syndicates to smuggle synthetic cannabis into Nigeria.

At Apapa Port, operatives found 1,090.5kg of Thai Loud hidden in a container declared to contain dry fish, rice, vehicle spare parts, turmeric soap and inverter batteries. The consignment comprised 2,181 sachets packed into 54 cartons.

• At the Lekki Deep Sea Port, another container under NDLEA surveillance was found to contain 400kg of Thai Loud concealed among pallets of A4 paper. The agency said four of the seven pallets contained the drugs, while three pallets contained 798 rims of A4 paper used as cover.
• Elsewhere, NDLEA operatives in Abuja intercepted 24,410 tramadol capsules being transported from Enugu to Zuba and subsequently arrested the alleged owner of the consignment in Kontagora, Niger State.
• In Ondo State, the agency destroyed 10,000kg of skunk cultivated across four hectares of cannabis farm in Ijare forest and separately recovered another 210kg of skunk in Ita-Ogbolu. In Kwara, operatives intercepted 1.325kg of methamphetamine and cannabis from a vehicle and arrested a 22-year-old suspect.

The agency also reported the arrest of a 65-year-old woman in Oyo State with 4.68kg of assorted controlled substances, including Loud, tramadol, codeine syrup, diazepam and flunitrazepam.

• In Kano, 73.3kg of skunk was recovered from a suspect, while three members of a family were arrested near the Seme border in Lagos with 48kg of skunk. In Abia, NDLEA operatives recovered Loud, Colorado, tramadol and rohypnol from the residence of a 36-year-old suspect.

Get up to speed

The arrest of a 101-year-old woman in Ogun State adds to a series of recent NDLEA operations involving older Nigerians allegedly linked to the illicit drug trade.

Drug trafficking is often associated with younger suspects, but recent arrests reported by Nairametrics show that older people have also featured in the agency’s crackdown.

• In early July, a 67-year-old Nigerian-British woman was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, after NDLEA operatives allegedly discovered 13kg of cocaine concealed in packages made to resemble plantains in her luggage.
• In April, the agency arrested 93-year-old Pa Friday Ahukanna Chigbu in Abia State after recovering 7.7kg of skunk from his residence. The suspect reportedly admitted to engaging in the illicit trade for more than a year.

What you should know

The latest seizures form part of an intensifying NDLEA crackdown on illicit drugs across Nigeria’s airports, seaports, land borders and inland communities.

• A week before the latest statement, the agency announced the destruction of 329,865.585kg of assorted illicit drugs and psychotropic substances in Lagos, with an estimated street value of N301.06 billion.
• In late July, the NDLEA’s Murtala Muhammed International Airport Strategic Command in Ikeja said it had seized 9,058.543kg of illicit drugs and arrested 260 suspects from 2025 to date.

The agency has also reported major seizures at Lagos ports and courier facilities. In one set of operations, it intercepted cocaine, cannabis and opioids with an estimated value of N10 billion within a single week.