NDLEA Arrests Two Elderly Drug Dealers for Supplying Students, Seizes Large Consignments Across Nigeria
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 intensified its nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking and abuse. The arrests came amid a series of major operations that led to the interception of dangerous narcotics from China, the arrest of wanted suspects, and the seizure of over 5,000 kilograms of illicit substances across several states.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two elderly suspected drug dealers accused of supplying illicit substances to teenage secondary school students in Umuahia, the Abia State capital.
The suspects, identified as 84-year-old Godfrey Orji and 75-year-old Godwin Obulunbiya Obiora, were apprehended in separate operations by NDLEA operatives.
According to the agency, Obiora was arrested on June 19 following credible intelligence linking him to the sale of illicit substances from his patent medicine store located on Club Road, Umuahia. A search of the premises reportedly led to the recovery of 4.64 kilograms of opioids, including tramadol and diazepam.
In a related case, Orji, a pensioner, was apprehended after security personnel at Saint Silas Secondary School, Old Umuahia, allegedly caught him supplying drugs to two students. He was subsequently handed over to the police and later transferred to NDLEA custody.
One of the students, a 15-year-old Senior Secondary School Two (SS2) student, reportedly told investigators that Orji supplied him with drugs for personal use and resale to fellow students.
While the elderly suspects are expected to face prosecution, the affected students have been placed under counselling and rehabilitation programmes.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted a 9.5-kilogram consignment of ADB Chminaca, a synthetic cannabinoid classified as a dangerous new psychoactive substance, at a courier company. The shipment originated from China and was concealed inside a carton.
The agency also recovered 300 grams of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, hidden inside ladies' handbags at another logistics company in the state.
In a separate operation, NDLEA officers raided the residence of a wanted drug dealer, Lukman Badmus, also known as Lukman Ogombo, in the Ogombo area of Ajah, Lagos. During the operation, officers recovered nine bottles of codeine syrup and 30 grams of skunk.
A follow-up raid at the shop of his wife, Aisha Saraki, on Lagos Island resulted in the recovery of two additional bottles of codeine, drug paraphernalia, and 42 compressed blocks of skunk weighing 22.5 kilograms concealed in a minibus parked outside the premises. NDLEA said an attempt by Saraki to dispose of some drug exhibits during the operation was thwarted.
Along the Okene-Lokoja Highway in Kogi State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a 33-year-old suspect, Tochukwu Onah, travelling from Lagos to Abuja with 1.03 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden inside custard containers.
In Ekiti State, a wanted couple, James Tony Chukwudi, 48, and James Kehinde, 35, were arrested after months on the run. The pair had been linked to the seizure of 117 kilograms of skunk in March 2026.
Meanwhile, a major operation in Oyo State led to the arrest of 75-year-old Tudun Olubiyi alongside Nasiru Buhari, 22, and Buba Musa, 47. NDLEA operatives raided their residence in Elekara, Oyo Town, where they recovered 118 jumbo bags containing 1,416 kilograms of skunk concealed beneath sawdust.
In Edo State, NDLEA officers arrested Patrick Imoukhede, 45, during a raid on Khagba Forest in Owan East Local Government Area. The operation led to the destruction of 1,744.075 kilograms of skunk and the recovery of an additional 169 kilograms of processed cannabis.
Another raid at Ebora Camp in Ilushi, Esan South-East Local Government Area, resulted in the destruction of 2,424.945 kilograms of cannabis. In a separate operation, Augustine Anyamone, 45, was arrested with 395 kilograms of skunk.
Beyond enforcement activities, the agency continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign across schools, communities, workplaces and traditional institutions nationwide.
Among the institutions visited were Orun Community Grammar School in Ekiti State, Government Girls Secondary School in Charanchi, Kano State, Federal Technical College in Doma, Nasarawa State, Tafida Community Secondary School in Katsina State, and Government Technical College in Onitsha, Anambra State. The Rivers State Command also paid an advocacy visit to the Paramount Ruler of Rumuogba Kingdom, HRH Barrister Temple Ejekwu.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) as well as commands in Abia, Ekiti, Oyo, Lagos, Kogi and Edo states for the arrests and seizures.
He praised their efforts in reducing the supply of illicit drugs while simultaneously advancing drug abuse prevention campaigns, urging personnel across the country to remain steadfast in the fight against drug trafficking and substance abuse.
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