NDLEA arrests 101-year-old woman retailing cannabis, recover cocaine concealed inside fufu

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested a 101-year-old woman for dealing in cannabis and intercepted cocaine concealed in edible cassava flour, popularly known as fufu, in separate operations across the country.

The agency also seized large consignments of cannabis indica, commonly known as Loud, worth more than N4.4 billion at the Apapa and Lekki ports in Lagos.

The NDLEA disclosed this in a statement on Sunday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.

In Ogun State, operatives on Saturday, August 15, arrested 101-year-old Esther Ogunmabo in Ilisan with 90 grammes of skunk, a strain of cannabis, packed in retail sachets.

The centenarian reportedly told operatives that she sold the substance to residents after her provisions shop was destroyed by fire.

She also alleged that one of her daughters, who lives in Lagos, supplied the cannabis to her every four days for onward retailing.

Following the arrest, the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, rtd., directed that Ogunmabo be granted bail and referred for counselling due to her advanced age. Her daughter was subsequently 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 were arrested in connection with the operation, while a total of 42.622kg of narcotics was recovered.

One of the suspects, 27-year-old Kingsley Effiong John, was allegedly found with 20 grammes of cocaine concealed inside a large wrap of edible cassava fufu, alongside 435 grammes of skunk.

The other suspects were identified as 29-year-old Etima Effiong Ekpo, who had 1.120kg of skunk, and 33-year-old Otobong Eyoh Etukudoh, who was found with 42.060kg of the substance.

At the Apapa Port in Lagos, the agency said it intercepted 1,090.5kg of Thai Loud concealed in a container declared to contain dry fish, rice, vehicle spare parts, turmeric soap and inverter batteries.

The consignment, which was jointly examined by the NDLEA, Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies on Friday, August 21, contained 2,181 sachets of the substance packed in 54 cartons.

At the Lekki Deep Sea Port, another container monitored by the NDLEA was found to contain 400kg of Thai Loud concealed among pallets of A4 paper.

The agency said the two seizures represented its first recorded interception of illicit drugs shipped from Thailand through the maritime corridor.

In the Federal Capital Territory, NDLEA 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.

The agency also reported several other arrests and seizures across the country.

In Ondo State, operatives destroyed 10,000kg of cannabis cultivated on four hectares of farmland in Ijare Forest, Ifedore Local Government Area. Another 210kg of skunk was recovered at Ita-Ogbolu in Akure North Local Government Area.

In Kwara State, 1.325kg of methamphetamine and quantities of cannabis were recovered from a Toyota Starlet intercepted along the Ogbomosho-Ilorin Expressway. A 22-year-old suspect, Muhammadu Usman, was arrested.

In Oyo State, 65-year-old Adebayo Kaosarat was arrested in Ibadan with 4.68kg of various illicit substances, including Loud, tramadol, codeine syrup, diazepam and flunitrazepam.

The NDLEA also reported the arrest of a 31-year-old suspect, Chibuzor Madueke, in Kano with 73.3kg of skunk, while three members of a family were arrested near the Seme border in Lagos with 48kg of the substance.

In Abia State, operatives recovered 14.4kg of Loud, 2.3kg of Colorado, 386 grammes of tramadol and 134 grammes of Rohypnol from the residence of 36-year-old Ikechukwu Anthony Iwuno in Umuahia South Local Government Area.

The NDLEA said its commands across the country also continued with its War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.

Marwa commended officers involved in the operations and urged NDLEA personnel across the country to sustain the agency’s approach to drug control.