Crime Watch:
NDLEA Arrests 101-Year-Old Great-Grandma, Intercepts Cocaine In Fufu
According to the NDLEA, the centenarian told investigators that she ventured into the illicit drug trade after a fire destroyed her provisions shop.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 101-year-old great-grandmother for allegedly selling cannabis in Ilisan, Ogun State.t
She was arrested on August 15, 2026, with 90 grammes of skunk, a strain of cannabis, which the agency said she admitted selling in small quantities.
According to the NDLEA, the centenarian told investigators that she ventured into the illicit drug trade after a fire destroyed her provisions shop.
She reportedly said her daughter, who lives in Lagos, supplied her with cannabis every four days for onward sale to local customers.
Following her arrest, the NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), directed that she be granted bail and subjected to counselling in view of her advanced age.
Her daughter was subsequently arrested in connection with the alleged drug trade.
In a separate operation in Akwa Ibom State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a wooden boat allegedly conveying illicit drugs to fishing settlements in Cameroon and arrested three suspects.
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The operation yielded about 42.622kg of narcotics, including 42.06kg of skunk, other quantities of cannabis and 20 grammes of cocaine concealed inside a large wrap of edible cassava fufu.
The agency also recorded what it described as its first seizure of illicit drugs shipped from Thailand through Nigeria’s maritime corridor.
Two containers containing cannabis indica, popularly known as Loud, were intercepted at the Apapa and Lekki ports in Lagos.
At the Apapa Port, a container 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.
Another 400kg was recovered from the second container at the Lekki Deep Sea Port, bringing the combined quantity seized from the two containers to more than 1.49 tonnes.
The NDLEA put the estimated street value of the consignments at over N4.4 billion.
According to the agency, both containers originated from Thailand, indicating the emergence of a new maritime route allegedly being exploited by drug syndicates to move synthetic cannabis into Nigeria.
Beyond the maritime seizures, the agency said its operatives recovered methamphetamine, skunk, opioids and other illicit substances in intelligence-led operations across Lagos, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, Oyo, Kwara, Kano, Abia and the Federal Capital Territory.
The NDLEA disclosed the arrests and seizures in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday.
The latest operations reflect the agency’s intensified efforts to disrupt drug trafficking and distribution networks across the country, with seizures involving different methods of concealment and transportation.
Among the methods uncovered were the concealment of cocaine in food items and the use of containers declared to be carrying legitimate goods to disguise large consignments of illicit drugs.
