101-Year-Old Great-Grandmother Arrested for Selling Cannabis in Ogun, NDLEA Uncovers N4.4bn Thai Loud Shipment
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 101-year-old great-grandmother, identified as Esther Ogunmabo, for allegedly dealing in illicit drugs at Ilisan, Ogun State.
Ogunmabo was arrested by NDLEA operatives on Saturday, August 15, 2026, with 90 grammes of skunk, a strain of cannabis, packaged in small retail sachets which she allegedly sold to residents in the Community.
According to the NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, the centenarian told investigators that she turned to the illicit drug trade after her provisions shop was destroyed by fire.
Babafemi disclosed that Ogunmabo also claimed that one of her daughters, who lives in Lagos, allegedly arranged supplies of the cannabis for her every four days, after which she sold the substance in smaller quantities to customers.
The development, which has attracted attention because of the suspect’s advanced age, was contained in a statement issued by the NDLEA on Sunday as the Agency announced a series of major drug interceptions and arrests across several States.
The NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), however, directed that the 101-year-old suspect be granted bail and subjected to counselling in view of her advanced age.
The Agency also arrested the daughter allegedly linked to the supply of the drugs.
Global Mirror News gathered that the latest operation was part of a wider nationwide crackdown by the NDLEA, which has resulted in significant seizures of cannabis, cocaine, tramadol and other controlled substances.
NDLEA Intercepts 42.6kg Drugs Bound for Cameroon
In Akwa Ibom State, NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence intercepted a wooden boat on the high seas on Friday, August 21, allegedly conveying illicit drugs to fishing settlements in the Republic of Cameroon.
Three suspects were arrested aboard the boat.
They were identified as Etima Effiong Eekpo, 29, who was allegedly found with 1.120kg of skunk; Otobong Eyoh Etukudoh, 33, with 42.060kg of skunk; and Kingsley Effiong John, 27, who was allegedly found with 20 grammes of cocaine concealed inside a large wrap of edible cassava fufu, alongside 435 grammes of skunk.
The NDLEA said a combined 42.622kg of narcotics was recovered from the suspects, who were allegedly heading towards fishing ports in Cameroon.
Thai Cannabis Worth Over N4.4bn Seized at Apapa, Lekki Ports
In a major maritime operation, the NDLEA also announced its first-ever 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, with the combined street value of the seized drugs estimated at more than N4.4 billion.
At the Apapa Port, a container declared to contain dry fish, rice, vehicle spare parts, turmeric soap and inverter batteries was subjected to a joint examination by NDLEA operatives, Customs and other relevant agencies on Friday, August 21.
The examination reportedly 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 already placed on the NDLEA watchlist was examined on Wednesday, August 19.
According to Babafemi, four of seven pallets inside the container contained Thai Loud, amounting to 96 cartons weighing 400kg. The remaining three pallets contained 798 rims of A4 paper, allegedly used to conceal the drug consignment.
The NDLEA said the consignments were loaded at Port of Laem Chabang in Thailand, suggesting that international drug syndicates may be exploiting a new trafficking route to smuggle synthetic cannabis into Nigeria.
24,410 Tramadol Pills Intercepted in FCT
In the Federal Capital Territory, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, August 22, intercepted three waybill packages containing 24,410 pills of tramadol capsules.
The packages were discovered inside a Hummer bus travelling from Enugu to Zuba.
A follow-up operation in Niger State subsequently led to the arrest of Sunday Eze, 28, identified as the alleged owner of the consignment, in Kontagora. He was later transferred to Abuja for further investigation.
10,000kg Cannabis Farm Destroyed in Ondo
The NDLEA also raided a cannabis farm at Ijare Forest in Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State on August 19.
The operation followed the earlier arrest of three suspected cannabis cultivators at the same location on August 16.
The Agency said its operatives destroyed approximately 10,000kg of skunk cultivated across four hectares of forest.
In another operation in Ondo State on the same day, NDLEA officers recovered 210kg of skunk at Ita-Ogbolu in Akure North Local Government Area.
A Toyota Camry, with registration number AGL 223 JH, allegedly belonging to Sylvester Dibiagu Anthony, who is currently at large, was also recovered.
Other Major Drug Arrests Across Nigeria
The agency reported another major seizure at Hadeija Road, Kano, where operatives on Monday, August 17, arrested Chibuzor Madueke, 31, with 98 blocks of skunk weighing 73.3kg.
At Seme, in the Badagry area of Lagos State, NDLEA operatives arrested three members of the same family, Nasiru Tijjani, 52; Moshood Tijjani, 27; and Salami Tijjani, 27, with 48kg of skunk allegedly recovered from them at Ashipa, near the Seme border.
In Abia State, officers raided the residence of Ikechukwu Anthony Iwuno, 36, at Umuobia Olokoro, Umuahia South Local Government Area, on Thursday, August 20.
The operation reportedly yielded 14.4kg of Loud, 2.3kg of Colorado cannabis, 386 grammes of tramadol and 134 grammes of rohypnol.
The latest series of operations underscores the NDLEA’s intensified efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks operating through Nigeria’s communities, borders, forests and maritime corridors.
Commending personnel of the Ogun, Apapa, Lekki, Seme, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, Oyo, Kwara, Kano, Abia and FCT Commands, Marwa urged Officers and men of the Agency across the Country to sustain what he described as a balanced approach to drug-control operations.
The NDLEA boss stressed the importance of maintaining pressure on drug trafficking networks while ensuring that enforcement actions remain guided by the circumstances of individual cases.
Global Mirror News reports that the arrest of the 101-year-old Ogun suspect and the multibillion-naira Thai cannabis seizures represent two striking dimensions of the agency’s latest operations from local retail distribution to sophisticated international trafficking routes.
