The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two elderly men, aged 84 and 75, for allegedly supplying illicit drugs to teenage secondary school students in Umuahia, Abia State, as the agency continues its nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking and abuse.
NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed in a statement that 75-year-old Godwin Obulunbiya Obiora was arrested on June 19 following intelligence reports linking him to the sale of illicit substances to young students and other users through his patent medicine store located on Club Road, Umuahia.
A search of the premises led to the recovery of 4.64 kilograms of opioids, including tramadol and diazepam.
In a related development, 84-year-old pensioner Godfrey Orji was apprehended after he was caught supplying illicit drugs to two teenage students of Saint Silas Secondary School, Old Umuahia. School security personnel intercepted him and handed him, along with the students, over to the police before the case was transferred to NDLEA.
One of the students, a 15-year-old SS2 pupil, reportedly confessed that Orji regularly supplied him with drugs which he consumed and resold to fellow students. While the elderly suspects are expected to face prosecution, the students have been enrolled in counselling and rehabilitation programmes.
The agency also recorded major seizures in Lagos, where operatives intercepted 9.5 kilograms of ADB Chminaca, a synthetic cannabinoid classified as a dangerous new psychoactive substance, concealed in a shipment from China. In another operation, officers discovered 300 grams of “Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, hidden inside ladies’ handbags destined for export.
Further operations in Lagos led to the raid of the residence of a wanted drug suspect, Lukman Badmus, alias “Lukman Ogombo,” in Ajah. Officers recovered codeine syrup and skunk, while a follow-up raid at his wife’s shop on Lagos Island yielded additional illicit substances and drug paraphernalia. A total of 22.5 kilograms of skunk concealed in a vehicle parked outside the shop was also recovered.
In Kogi State, NDLEA operatives intercepted Tochukwu Onah, 33, along the Okene-Lokoja highway with 1.03 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden inside custard containers while travelling from Lagos to Abuja.
Meanwhile, a wanted couple, James Tony Chukwudi and James Kehinde, linked to the seizure of 117 kilograms of skunk in Ekiti State in March, were arrested after months in hiding.
In Oyo State, operatives raided a house in Elekara, Oyo Town, arresting Tudun Olubiyi, 75, alongside two accomplices. The operation led to the recovery of 1,416 kilograms of skunk concealed in 118 jumbo bags covered with sawdust.
Similarly, in Edo State, NDLEA officers destroyed over 4,000 kilograms of cannabis during separate operations in Owan East and Esan South Local Government Areas, while several suspects were arrested and large quantities of processed cannabis recovered.
Beyond enforcement operations, the agency sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through sensitisation programmes in schools and communities across Ekiti, Kano, Nasarawa, Katsina, Anambra and Rivers states.
Commending officers involved in the successful operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Buba Marwa, praised the balance between drug supply reduction efforts and public enlightenment campaigns, urging personnel nationwide to remain steadfast in the fight against drug abuse and trafficking.
