NDLEA Rearrests 83-Year-Old Grandma, Seizes Tonnes of Drugs Across States

As agency nabs South African woman with 32kg of cannabis, recovers rifles, ammunition in Plateau

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has rearrested an 83-year-old woman, Uloma Uchechi Sunday, for alleged drug trafficking in Abia State, less than a year after she was convicted for a similar offence, as the agency recorded major drug seizures and arrests across several states.

The octogenarian was arrested on Wednesday, October 7, at her residence in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State, with quantities of methamphetamine and Colorado, a synthetic cannabinoid, allegedly concealed around her waist with a wrapper.

The NDLEA said the arrest followed credible intelligence indicating that the woman operated a notorious drug joint allegedly patronised by criminal elements terrorising the community.

In a statement issued on Sunday, October 11, the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the suspect was first arrested on May 17, 2025, alongside her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi, at the same residence.

During the earlier operation, operatives recovered 50 grammes of methamphetamine, 522 grammes of skunk, 260 grammes of fresh cannabis leaves and 12 grammes of tramadol.

The agency said both women pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment or an option of a N200,000 fine each. They paid the fines and were released.

According to the NDLEA, the elderly woman subsequently returned to the illicit drug trade and allegedly expanded her activities by establishing a drug joint where she accommodated suspected criminal elements.

In a separate operation at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Rivers State, operatives working in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service arrested a South African woman, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, with 32.74 kilogrammes of cannabis.

The agency said 30 parcels of Thai Loud, a cannabis variety, were concealed in two travelling bags belonging to the suspect, who had travelled from Thailand through Doha aboard a Qatar Airways flight.

Babafemi said the woman admitted to having previously trafficked drugs through other African countries and was seeking to expand her route to Port Harcourt when she was arrested.

At the Import Shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted 354,000 tablets of Tapentadol, each containing 250 milligrammes and weighing 307.20 kilogrammes.

The consignment, which arrived from Pakistan in nine cartons aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight, was placed under surveillance on September 29 before a joint examination on October 6 uncovered the drugs.

Another operation at the Lagos airport led to the interception of 75.90 kilogrammes of Colorado allegedly imported from the United Kingdom. The drugs, comprising 70 parcels, were concealed in six Ghana-Must-Go bags found in a consolidated cargo that arrived on September 29.

The operation resulted in the arrest of four suspects, including a 54-year-old clearing agent, John Edrah; a 54-year-old Uber driver, Taofiq Ajibola; Adetunji Adebayo; and a 48-year-old clothing trader, Kazeem Damola Dosunmu.

The agency said Ajibola was arrested while collecting one of the bags at a logistics company in Mafoluku, Oshodi, while Adebayo and Dosunmu were apprehended when they arrived to collect the remaining five bags.

Ajibola reportedly identified a United Kingdom-based associate, Lukman Sa’idu, as the sender of the drugs, while Dosunmu said his consignment came from another UK-based individual identified as Yusuf.

Beyond the airport interceptions, the agency recorded significant cannabis seizures in Cross River, Edo, Ondo, Kaduna and Lagos states.

In Cross River, a surveillance-led operation at Iyala Nkun village, Ikom Local Government Area, on Sunday, October 4, led to the arrest of 46-year-old Adama Inuwa. Operatives recovered 181 bags of cannabis weighing 1,100 kilogrammes and an additional 17.15 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds.

In Edo State, operatives intercepted a black Toyota Camry conveying 1,049 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 702.83 kilogrammes at Otuo, Owan East Local Government Area, on Monday, October 5. Three suspects — Monday Orji, 52; Monday Lawal, 40; and Precious Uduegele, 20 — were arrested in connection with the seizure.

In a separate operation in Benin City, Ojugo Mercy, 26, was arrested at Asoro, off Sakponba Road, with 989 grammes of Loud, 13 grammes of Colorado and 83 grammes of methamphetamine.

In Ondo State, operatives arrested 21-year-old Happy Endurance at her hideout in the Shasha area of Akure on October 5, recovering 29 bags of cannabis weighing 290 kilogrammes.

A separate raid on an apartment in Oba-Ile, also in Akure, led to the arrest of 42-year-old Tunde Adebayo, with 35 bags of cannabis weighing 351 kilogrammes.

In Kaduna State, Mohammed Musa, 29, was arrested during a patrol along the Zaria-Kaduna Expressway with 31 jumbo bags and 775 blocks of skunk weighing a combined 1,027 kilogrammes.

In Lagos, a suspect identified as Musbau Balogun Adekunle was arrested in the Orile area on Tuesday, October 6, with 32.51 kilogrammes of skunk and 52.65 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds, bringing the total seizure to 85.16 kilogrammes.

The agency also reported the arrest of two men, Abdulrasheed Mohamed, 31, and Abubakar Saidu, 37, in Chanchanji village, Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State, on Friday, October 9. The operation, supported by soldiers, led to the recovery of 166,200 tablets of tramadol weighing 107 kilogrammes.

On the same day, a stop-and-search operation along the Kano-Maiduguri Road in Kano State resulted in the arrest of 32-year-old Yahaya Musa with 24,990 capsules of tramadol, 50,000 tablets of diazepam and 22,000 tablets of Exol-5.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives recovered firearms and ammunition during a raid on the residence of 45-year-old Christian Chukwudi Uju at Rukuba Road, Jos, Plateau State, on Thursday, October 8.

The agency said the items recovered included 47 grammes of methamphetamine, two pump-action rifles, one locally made gun, 199 live cartridges, five rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and one round of 9mm ammunition.

The NDLEA also continued its War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaign in schools and communities across the country during the week, with enlightenment programmes held in educational institutions in Oyo, Ebonyi, Niger, Kano, Lagos and Ogun states, among others.

The agency’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers and men of the Lagos, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Port Harcourt International Airport, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Cross River, Ondo and Plateau commands for what he described as their professionalism and intelligence-driven operations.

Marwa urged personnel across the country to sustain what he called a balanced approach to the agency’s drug control efforts.