Grandpas arrested for drug trafficking in Abia, Ekiti
NDLEA Arrests Two Elderly Men in Drug Trafficking Crackdown
Operatives with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended two elderly men, aged 83 and 78, in separate operations in Abia and Ekiti states as part of a sustained effort to combat illicit drug trafficking.
The agency announced the arrests in a statement issued on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, the Director of Media and Advocacy. According to NDLEA, the 83-year-old suspect, Pa John Ofiel, was arrested on April 28 during a raid in the Samek area of Aba, Abia State, based on credible intelligence. Officers recovered 700 grams of skunk, a cannabis strain, packaged in retail sachets. Ofiel reported that he had previously worked as a shoemaker before turning to drug dealing.
In a concurrent operation, NDLEA officials arrested 78-year-old Ogunjobi Samuel on April 30 at his residence on Owode Street in Ilupeju-Ekiti. They seized approximately 350 grams of skunk from Samuel.
In Oyo State, two women—Rebecca King, 24, and Olaniyan Opeyemi, 31—were arrested in connection with the seizure of 1.925 kilograms of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis. King was intercepted along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on April 29, while Opeyemi was apprehended in a follow-up operation on Iwo Road in Ibadan.
NDLEA teams also arrested suspected drug dealer Taofik Adeyemi, 49, and his associate Mustapha Oyerinde, 28, on May 2 in Erunmu after a lengthy evasion of law enforcement. The operatives recovered 3.085 kilograms of skunk and a Toyota Camry during the operation. Two of Adeyemi’s alleged accomplices were previously arrested in December 2022 and are currently facing prosecution at the Federal High Court in Ibadan.
In Osun State, a 65-year-old driver, Oladayo Awoyemi, was arrested on April 30 at the Ile-Ife toll gate on the Ibadan-Ilesha Expressway with a carton containing 7 kilograms of skunk and 15 grams of methamphetamine. Following this operation, Ifedayo Babalola, 40, was arrested in Ilesha as the alleged owner of the drugs.
In Borno State, 27-year-old Yahaya Shehu was apprehended on April 29 along the Damaturu-Maiduguri road with 76,440 pills of Tramadol (225 mg). In a separate operation, truck driver Magaji Isa, 30, was caught with 14,000 capsules of Tramadol. A follow-up raid in Biu resulted in the arrest of Abdulhamid Mahmud, 28, the alleged owner of the capsules.
NDLEA operatives also intercepted 290 kilograms of skunk from two suspects, Ojo Major Ebose, 36, and Chika Obiechefula, 32, along the Abuja-Jos highway in Kaduna State. In Jigawa State, officers recovered 49,800 capsules of Tramadol from two suspects arrested along Bauchi Road in Hadejia.
In Lagos State, a raid at Awolowo Market in Mushin on May 2 led to the confiscation of 740 kilograms of skunk. In Edo State, a suspect identified as Godstime Godspower, 25, was arrested in the Idogbo community of Benin City with various illicit drugs, including Loud, Colorado, Tramadol, Swinol, and methamphetamine.
The NDLEA also reported ongoing outreach efforts through its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaigns, which target schools, religious centers, workplaces, and communities nationwide.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Buba Marwa praised law enforcement officers across the affected states for their efforts and urged them to maintain their focus on both enforcement actions and public awareness initiatives.
