The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested two elderly men, aged 83 and 78, in Abia and Ekiti states during a nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking, the agency said on Sunday.
NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy Femi Babafemi said in a statement that the operations took place between April 28 and May 2.
In Abia State, 83-year-old Pa John Ofiel was arrested on April 28 after a raid at Samek area by Powerline in Aba, based on credible intelligence. Officers recovered 700 grams of skunk, a strain of cannabis, packaged in retail sachets. Ofiel told investigators he was previously a shoemaker before getting involved in the drug trade.
In Ekiti State, operatives arrested 78-year-old Ogunjobi Samuel on April 30 at his residence on Owode Street, Ilupeju-Ekiti. About 350 grams of skunk were recovered from him.
In Oyo State, Rebecca King, 24, and Olaniyan Opeyemi, 31, were arrested in connection with 1.925 kilograms of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis. King was intercepted along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on April 29, while Opeyemi was arrested in a follow-up operation at Iwo Road, Ibadan, as she attempted to collect the consignment.
Also in Ibadan, Taofik Adeyemi, 49, and Mustapha Oyerinde, 28, were arrested on May 2 at Erunmu after months of evading arrest. Officers seized 3.085 kilograms of skunk and a Toyota Camry. Two of Adeyemi’s alleged accomplices were arrested in December 2025 and are being prosecuted at the Federal High Court in Ibadan.
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In Osun State, 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. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the alleged owner, Ifedayo Babalola, 40, in Ilesha.
In Borno State, Yahaya Shehu, 27, was arrested on April 29 along the Damaturu-Maiduguri Road with 76,440 pills of Tramadol 225mg. Separately, truck driver Magaji Isa, 30, was arrested with 14,000 capsules of Tramadol, and a follow-up raid in Biu led to the arrest of the alleged owner, Abdulhamid Mahmud, 28.
Other seizures included 290 kilograms of skunk from Ojo Major Ebose, 36, and Chika Obiechefula, 32, on the Abuja-Jos Highway in Kaduna State. In Jigawa State, operatives recovered 49,800 capsules of Tramadol from two suspects arrested along Bauchi Road in Hadejia.
A May 2 raid at Awolowo Market in Mushin, Lagos State, yielded 740 kilograms of skunk. In Edo State, Godstime Godspower, 25, was arrested in Idogbo community, Benin City, with various drugs including Loud, Colorado, Tramadol, Swinol and methamphetamine.
The agency said its commands nationwide also continued War Against Drug Abuse sensitization campaigns in schools, religious centers, workplaces and communities.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Buba Marwa commended officers in the affected states and urged them to sustain momentum in enforcement and public awareness.
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