A 101-year-old great-grandmother, Esther Ogunmabo, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for allegedly selling illicit drugs in Ilisan, Ogun State.
The centenarian was reportedly caught with 90 grammes of skunk, a strain of cannabis, packaged in small sachets for sale to residents in the community.
According to the NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, Ogunmabo told investigators that she ventured into the illicit drug trade after a fire destroyed her provisions shop.
Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, said the suspect was arrested on Saturday, August 15, adding that she allegedly received supplies from one of her daughters based in Lagos.
“The centenarian told operatives that she resorted to the illicit drug trade after her provisions shop was razed by fire,” the statement said.
The NDLEA boss, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), subsequently directed that the elderly suspect be granted bail and subjected to counselling because of her advanced age.
However, the daughter accused of arranging the supply of the drugs was also arrested.
NDLEA intercepts drugs bound for Cameroon
In a separate operation in Akwa Ibom, NDLEA operatives intercepted a wooden boat allegedly conveying illicit drugs to fishing settlements in Cameroon.
Three suspects were arrested aboard the vessel, which was heading towards Ine Isu, Ine Mbah and Ine Ikot Itie Udung fishing ports.
The agency recovered 42.622kg of narcotics from the suspects, including 42.06kg and 1.12kg of skunk, 435 grammes of skunk and 20 grammes of cocaine concealed inside a large wrap of cassava fufu.
N4.4bn Thai cannabis seized at ports
The NDLEA also announced its first seizure of illicit drugs allegedly shipped from Thailand through Nigeria’s maritime corridor.
Two containers intercepted at the Apapa and Lekki ports were found to contain cannabis indica, popularly known as Loud, with a combined street value of more than N4.4bn.
At Apapa Port, a container declared to contain dry fish, rice, vehicle spare parts, turmeric soap and inverter batteries was found to contain 1,090.5kg of Thai Loud packed in 54 cartons.
Another 400kg of the substance was recovered from a container at the Lekki Deep Sea Port, where the drugs were allegedly concealed among pallets of A4 paper.
Tramadol, cannabis seized in other operations
In the Federal Capital Territory, operatives intercepted three waybill packages containing 24,410 pills of tramadol capsules concealed inside a Hummer bus travelling from Enugu to Zuba.
The alleged owner of the consignment, 28-year-old Sunday Eze, was later arrested in Kontagora, Niger State.
In Ondo State, NDLEA operatives destroyed about 10,000kg of cannabis cultivated on four hectares of farmland in Ijare forest, Ifedore Local Government Area.
Other seizures were recorded in Kano, Lagos, Abia and other states as the agency intensified its nationwide crackdown on illicit drug trafficking.
Marwa commended the officers involved in the operations and urged NDLEA commands across the country to sustain what he described as a balanced approach to drug control.
