19th May, 2025
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered a massive drug trafficking network involving elderly individuals, students, and sophisticated smuggling tactics through Nigeria’s seaports. The agency announced that within one week, it intercepted narcotics worth over N3.2 billion in coordinated operations across various states.
Among those arrested were two octogenarians—80-year-old Ayuba Ashiru and 82-year-old Uloma Uchechi Sunday—along with Sunday’s daughter, Chisom Uchechi, aged 32. NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, who confirmed the arrests on Sunday, said Ashiru, a known ex-convict previously jailed for drug offences, was nabbed again in Kaduna with over two kilograms of cannabis.
“He claimed to have been in the drug trade for 46 years,” Babafemi revealed, adding that his re-arrest in Sabon Gari, Kaduna followed credible intelligence. “This shows the deeply rooted nature of the trade among some individuals.”
In Abia State, NDLEA operatives raided the home of Mrs. Uloma Uchechi Sunday and her daughter, recovering methamphetamine, tramadol, cannabis, and N130,600 in cash. The octogenarian reportedly confessed that they took over the drug business from her late son.
Meanwhile, NDLEA officers in Lagos and Rivers State intercepted two major drug shipments at Apapa and Onne ports respectively. In Onne, a container yielded three million pills of tapentadol and carisoprodol valued at N2.1 billion, while the Apapa operation led to the discovery of 169,800 bottles of codeine syrup, worth over N1.1 billion, hidden among car parts.
The crackdown extended to Kwara State where two suspects were caught with nearly 200,000 tramadol pills. A separate raid at Favour Lodge, Ilorin, led to the arrest of Ibrahim Oladimeji Abdulateef, an HND student at Kwara State Polytechnic, found with 149 cups of cannabis meant for sale.
In Niger, Nasarawa, Lagos, Jigawa, Taraba, and Kaduna States, several suspects were arrested with large quantities of cannabis, tramadol, and cocaine. Notably, NDLEA operatives on the Abuja–Kaduna highway intercepted a man carrying an AK-47 rifle and two magazines concealed in a sack of maize.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), praised the agency’s officers for their efforts. “These arrests and seizures underscore the agency’s commitment to removing drugs from our communities while intensifying public enlightenment,” he said.
He also noted the continuation of NDLEA’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign across schools nationwide, reinforcing the agency’s dual strategy of cutting supply and reducing demand.
“This fight must be won on both fronts—through strong enforcement and consistent education,” Marwa added.
