Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 101-year-old great-grandmother, Esther Ogunmabo, for allegedly dealing in cannabis at Ilisan, Ogun State. Ogunmabo was arrested on August 15, 2026, with 90 grammes of skunk, a strain of cannabis. According to the agency, she admitted selling the substance in small quantities. The centenarian reportedly told investigators that she turned to drug dealing after a fire destroyed her provisions shop. She also disclosed that her daughter, who lives in Lagos, supplied her with cannabis every four days. Following the development, the NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), directed that Ogunmabo be granted bail and subjected to counselling because of her advanced age. Her daughter was subsequently arrested.
In a separate operation in Akwa Ibom State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a wooden boat allegedly heading towards fishing settlements in Cameroon and arrested three suspects with about 42.622 kilogrammes of illicit drugs. The seizure included about 42.06kg of skunk, alongside other quantities of cannabis and 20 grammes of cocaine concealed inside a large wrap of edible cassava fufu. The agency also announced what it described as its first seizure of illicit drugs shipped from Thailand through Nigeria’s maritime corridor. Two containers containing cannabis indica, popularly known as Loud, were intercepted at the Apapa and Lekki ports in Lagos.
One of the containers, which had been declared to contain dry fish, rice, vehicle spare parts, turmeric soap and inverter batteries, was found to contain 1,090.5kg of the illicit substance.
A second container yielded another 400kg, bringing the combined quantity to more than 1.49 tonnes, with an estimated street value exceeding N4.4bn.
The NDLEA said its operatives also recovered methamphetamine, skunk, opioids and other illicit substances during intelligence-led operations across Seme in Lagos State, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, Oyo, Kwara, Kano, Abia and the Federal Capital Territory.
The agency disclosed the arrests and seizures in a statement shared on Sunday as part of its latest nationwide crackdown on illicit drug trafficking and distribution.
The operations highlight the increasingly varied methods allegedly used by traffickers to move narcotics, including concealing cocaine in food items and disguising large consignments in containers declared as legitimate goods.
The NDLEA has continued to intensify operations against drug trafficking networks across the country, targeting both street-level dealers and larger supply chains involved in importing and distributing illicit substances.
