101-Year-Old Woman Arrested As NDLEA Seizes ₦4.4bn Loud, Finds Cocaine In Fufu

By Adebola Muili

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 101-year-old woman, Esther Ogunmabo, for allegedly dealing in cannabis in Ogun State, while operatives also intercepted cocaine concealed inside edible cassava flour, popularly known as fufu, in Akwa Ibom State.

The operations, which took place across several states and the nation’s maritime borders, also led to the seizure of more than ₦4.4 billion worth of Loud, a synthetic cannabis, at the Apapa and Lekki ports in Lagos, alongside large consignments of methamphetamine, skunk, tramadol, codeine and other illicit drugs.

In a statement issued on Sunday, August 23, 2026, NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the 101-year-old suspect was arrested on Saturday, August 15, at Ilisan, Ogun State, with 90 grammes of skunk packaged in retail sachets.

Babafemi said Ogun State operatives arrested Ogunmabo after she was found selling the substance to residents, adding that the centenarian told investigators that she ventured into the illicit trade after her provisions shop was razed by fire.

According to him, Ogunmabo also disclosed that one of her daughters, who resides in Lagos, supplied the cannabis to her every four days, which she sold in small quantities.

However, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), directed that the elderly suspect be granted bail and placed on counselling because of her advanced age, while her daughter was arrested.

In Akwa Ibom State, NDLEA operatives on Friday, August 21, intercepted a wooden boat on the high seas allegedly conveying illicit drugs to fishing settlements in Cameroon.

Three suspects — Etima Effiong Eekpo, 29; Otobong Eyoh Etukudoh, 33; and Kingsley Effiong John, 27 — were arrested with a combined 42.622kg of narcotics.

John was allegedly found with 20 grammes of cocaine cleverly concealed inside a large wrap of edible cassava fufu, alongside 435 grammes of skunk.

Meanwhile, the NDLEA said it recorded its first-ever seizure of illicit drugs shipped from Thailand through the maritime corridor following the interception of two containers of cannabis indica, popularly known as Loud, at the Apapa and Lekki ports in Lagos.

The two consignments had a combined street value of more than ₦4.4 billion, according to the agency.

At Apapa Port, a container declared to contain dry fish, rice, vehicle spare parts, turmeric soap and inverter batteries was jointly examined by NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies on Friday, August 21.

The examination uncovered 1,090.5kg of Thai Loud packed in 54 cartons containing 2,181 sachets of 500 grammes each.

At the Lekki Deep Sea Port, another container earlier placed on the NDLEA watchlist was jointly examined on Wednesday, August 19.

The agency said four of the seven pallets wrapped in black nylon contained 96 cartons comprising 400 parcels of Thai Loud weighing 400kg, while the remaining three pallets contained 798 rims of A4 paper allegedly used as cover for the consignment.

Both containers were loaded at the Port of Laem Chabang, Thailand, a development the agency said indicated the emergence of a new trafficking route being exploited by drug syndicates to smuggle synthetic cannabis into Nigeria.

In the Federal Capital Territory, operatives on Saturday, August 22, intercepted three waybill packages containing 24,410 tramadol capsules inside a Hummer bus travelling from Enugu to Zuba.

A follow-up operation in Niger State led to the arrest of the alleged owner of the consignment, 28-year-old Sunday Eze, in Kontagora. He was subsequently transferred to Abuja.

In Ondo State, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday, August 19, raided a cannabis farm at Ijare forest, Ifedore Local Government Area, destroying 10,000kg of skunk cultivated across four hectares.

The operation followed the earlier arrest of three suspected cannabis farmers at the location on August 16.

In a separate operation at Ita-Ogbolu, Akure North Local Government Area, 210kg of skunk and a Toyota Camry were recovered. The vehicle allegedly belongs to Sylvester Dibiagu Anthony, who is currently at large.

In Kwara State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Ogbomosho-Ilorin Expressway on Friday, August 21, intercepted a Toyota Starlet without a registration number and recovered 1.325kg of methamphetamine alongside quantities of cannabis sativa.

A 22-year-old suspect, Muhammadu Usman, was arrested in connection with the seizure.

Also in Oyo State, 65-year-old Adebayo Kaosarat was arrested at Akobo-Ojuirin, Ibadan, with 4.68kg of assorted illicit substances comprising 1.795kg of Scottish Loud, 1.66kg of tramadol, 600 grammes of codeine syrup, 125 grammes of diazepam and 50 grammes of flunitrazepam.

In Kano State, operatives arrested 31-year-old Chibuzor Madueke during a raid at Hadeija Road on August 17, recovering 98 blocks of skunk weighing 73.3kg.

Similarly, at Seme, Lagos, three members of the Tijjani family — Nasiru Tijjani, 52; Moshood Tijjani, 27; and Salami Tijjani, 27 — were arrested at Ashipa, near the Seme border, with 48kg of skunk.

In Abia State, NDLEA operatives raided the residence of 36-year-old Ikechukwu Anthony Iwuno at Umuobia Olokoro, Umuahia South Local Government Area, recovering 14.4kg of Loud, 2.3kg of Colorado, 386 grammes of tramadol and 134 grammes of Rohypnol.

Beyond the seizures and arrests, the agency said its Commands and formations sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities during the week.

Marwa commended the officers and men of the Ogun, Apapa, Lekki, Seme, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, Oyo, Kwara, Kano, Abia and FCT Commands for their various successful operations.

He urged them and their colleagues across the country to sustain the current balanced approach to drug control efforts.