The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 101-year-old great-grandmother, Esther Ogunmabo, for allegedly dealing in cannabis in Ilisan, Ogun State.
Ogunmabo was arrested on August 15 with 90 grammes of skunk. According to the NDLEA, she admitted selling the substance in small quantities and said she turned to drug dealing after a fire destroyed her provisions shop.
The agency also alleged that her daughter, who lives in Lagos, supplied her with cannabis every four days. Following her arrest, NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.) directed that the centenarian be granted bail and referred for counselling due to her advanced age. Her daughter was subsequently arrested.
In a separate operation in Akwa Ibom State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a wooden boat allegedly heading towards fishing settlements in Cameroon and arrested three suspects with about 42.62kg of illicit drugs, including skunk, cannabis and 20 grammes of cocaine concealed in a large wrap of cassava fufu.
Meanwhile, the agency seized more than 1.49 tonnes of cannabis indica, popularly known as Loud, from two containers at the Apapa and Lekki ports in Lagos.
One of the containers, declared to contain dry fish, rice, vehicle spare parts, turmeric soap and inverter batteries, was found to contain 1,090.5kg of the illicit substance, while a second container yielded another 400kg. The combined seizure has an estimated street value of more than N4.4 billion.
The NDLEA said additional seizures of methamphetamine, skunk, opioids and other illicit substances were recorded during intelligence-led operations across several states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The agency said the operations demonstrate the increasingly sophisticated methods allegedly employed by drug trafficking networks, including concealing cocaine in food items and disguising large consignments as legitimate cargo.
