The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two octogenarians alongside several other suspects in a series of coordinated anti-drug operations across multiple states, highlighting an intensified nationwide crackdown on illicit drug trafficking.
The agency said an 83-year-old suspect, Pa John Ofiel, was apprehended last Tuesday during a raid in the Samek area by Powerline in Abia State. Acting on intelligence, operatives recovered 700 grammes of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis, packaged in retail sachets. The suspect reportedly told investigators he had previously worked as a shoemaker before venturing into drug distribution.
In a similar operation in Ekiti State, NDLEA officers arrested 78-year-old Ogunjobi Samuel at his residence in Ilupeju-Ekiti, recovering 350 grammes of skunk.
The crackdown extended to Oyo State, where two women, Rebecca King, 24, and Olaniyan Opeyemi, 31, were arrested in connection with the seizure of 1.925 kilogrammes of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis variant. King was intercepted along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, while Opeyemi was arrested at Iwo Road, Ibadan, while attempting to receive the consignment.
In a separate operation in Ibadan, operatives apprehended a long-wanted suspect, Taofik Adeyemi, 49, alongside an associate, Mustapha Oyerinde, 28, at a residence in the Erunmu area. The agency said Adeyemi had evaded arrest for months. Recovered items included 3.085 kilogrammes of skunk and a Toyota Camry vehicle. Two of his alleged accomplices had earlier been arrested in December 2025 and are currently facing prosecution.
Further arrests were recorded in Osun State, where a 65-year-old driver, Oladayo Awoyemi, was intercepted along the Ibadan-Ilesha Expressway with 7 kilogrammes of skunk and 15 grammes of methamphetamine. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the alleged owner of the consignment, Ifedayo Babalola, in Ilesha.
In the North-East, NDLEA operatives intercepted large quantities of opioids in Borno State. A 27-year-old suspect, Yahaya Shehu, was arrested with 76,440 pills of Tramadol, while another operation led to the seizure of 14,000 capsules and additional arrests.
The agency also reported a major seizure along the Abuja-Jos highway in Kaduna State, where 290 kilogrammes of compressed cannabis were recovered from two suspects. In Jigawa State, nearly 50,000 capsules of Tramadol were seized during a roadside operation in Hadejia.
In Lagos State, operatives raided Awolowo Market in Mushin, recovering 740 kilogrammes of skunk. Meanwhile, in Edo State, a suspect identified as Godstime Godspower was arrested with multiple illicit substances, including Loud, Colorado, Tramadol, Swinol, and methamphetamine.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said the operations were intelligence-driven and part of ongoing efforts to dismantle drug networks nationwide.
Beyond enforcement, the agency noted it has sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign across schools, religious institutions, and communities in states including Niger, Kano, Anambra, Lagos, and Edo.
Chairman and Chief Executive of NDLEA, Buba Marwa, commended officers for the operational successes, stressing the need to balance aggressive supply reduction with sustained public education to curb demand.
The agency said the involvement of elderly suspects in the latest arrests underscores a growing and concerning trend in Nigeria’s drug trade, with individuals across age groups increasingly implicated amid intensified enforcement efforts.
