The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has arrested an 83-year-old grandmother, Uloma Sunday, with suspected consignments of methamphetamine and colorado concealed around her waist in Abia state.
Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, said in a statement on Monday that Sunday was arrested barely a year after she was prosecuted and convicted for a similar offence.
According to Babafemi, the octogenarian was arrested on October 7 at her home in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, Obingwa LGA of Abia, with quantities of methamphetamine and Colorado tied around her waist with a wrapper.
He said her re-arrest followed intelligence reports that she operated a notorious drug joint frequented by criminal elements who terrorised the community.
“Uloma’s first encounter with the law was on 17th May 2025 when she was arrested by NDLEA operatives at her residence in the same village alongside her daughter, Chisom Uchechi, 32, with 50 grams of methamphetamine, 522 grams of skunk, 260 grams of fresh cannabis leaves and 12 grams of tramadol,” the statement reads.
“Both pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment or a fine of N200,000 each. They paid the fine and were released by the court.
“Undeterred, the notorious old woman promptly returned to the criminal trade and escalated the scale by setting up a drug joint where she harbours dangerous characters.”
Babafemi also said NDLEA operatives, working with the Nigeria Customs Service, arrested a South African woman, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, with 30 parcels of Thai Loud, a cannabis strain weighing 32.74 kilogrammes, concealed in two travel bags.
He said Jessie was arrested at the Port Harcourt International Airport in Omagwa, Rivers state.
“The suspect had travelled from Thailand via Doha aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1431. She confessed to having previously trafficked through other African countries and was expanding her route to Port Harcourt when she was caught,” Babafemi said.
The spokesperson added that NDLEA operatives at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos, intercepted nine cartons of suspected drugs shipped from Pakistan aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight.
He said the consignment was placed under surveillance after arriving on September 29, adding that a joint examination on October 6 uncovered 354,000 tablets of tapentadol, each containing 250mg, weighing 307.20 kilogrammes.
In a separate operation at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives intercepted a consolidated cargo from the United Kingdom that arrived on September 29.
Babafemi said six Ghana-Must-Go bags contained 70 parcels of Colorado, a synthetic cannabinoid, weighing 75.90 kilogrammes.
He said a clearing agent, John Edrah, 54, was arrested on September 30, followed by Taofiq Ajibola, 54, an Uber driver, who was apprehended while collecting one of the bags at a logistics company in the Mafoluku area of Oshodi.
Adetunji Adebayo and Kazeem Damola Dosunmu, 48, a clothing trader, were subsequently arrested when they arrived to collect the remaining five bags.
According to Babafemi, Ajibola said the drugs were sent by a UK-based associate, Lukman Sa’idu, while Dosunmu said his consignment came from another UK-based man identified as Yusuf.
In Cross River state, NDLEA operatives arrested Adama Inuwa, 46, during a raid on Iyala Nkun village in Ikom LGA on October 4.
Babafemi said the operation, which followed surveillance, led to the recovery of 181 bags of cannabis weighing 1,100 kilogrammes and 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 LGA, on October 5.
Monday Orji, 52, Monday Lawal, 40, and Precious Uduegele, 20, were arrested in connection with the seizure.
In another raid, Ojugo Mercy, 26, was arrested at Asoro, off Sakponba Road, Benin City, with 989 grammes of Loud, 13 grammes of Colorado and 83 grammes of methamphetamine.
In Ondo state, NDLEA operatives arrested Happy Endurance, 21, at her hideout in the Shasha area of Akure on October 5, recovering 29 bags of cannabis weighing 290 kilogrammes.
On the same day, a raid on an apartment in Oba-Ile, Akure, led to the arrest of Tunde Adebayo, 42, with 35 bags of cannabis weighing 351 kilogrammes.
In Taraba state, NDLEA operatives, supported by soldiers, arrested Abdulrasheed Mohamed, 31, and Abubakar Saidu, 37, in Chanchanji village, Wukari LGA, on October 9.
Babafemi said the suspects were found with 166,200 tablets of tramadol, each containing 225mg, weighing 107 kilogrammes.
He added that a stop-and-search operation along the Kano-Maiduguri road in Kano state on the same day led to the arrest of Yahaya Musa, 32, with 24,990 capsules of tramadol, 50,000 tablets of diazepam and 22,000 tablets of Exol-5.
