The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded a wave of major seizures across Nigeria’s borders and highways, including the arrest of a 101-year-old great grandmother and the interception of cocaine concealed in fufu, alongside N4.4 billion worth of synthetic cannabis imported from Thailand.
In a statement issued on Sunday, August 23, 2026, by NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the agency said its operatives made the arrests and seizures between August 15 and August 22 in Ogun, Akwa Ibom, Lagos, FCT, Ondo, Kwara, Oyo, Kano, Abia and Seme.
Centenarian arrested in Ogun
The most unusual case occurred on Saturday, August 15, in Ilisan, Ogun State, where operatives arrested Esther Ogunmabo, 101, with 90 grams of skunk packaged in retail sachets.
The suspect told investigators that she turned to drug sales after her provisions shop was destroyed by fire. She added that her daughter, based in Lagos, supplies her every four days.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), directed that the centenarian be granted bail and placed on counselling due to her age. Her daughter has since been arrested.
Cocaine hidden in fufu, boat intercepted
On Friday, August 21, NDLEA operatives in Akwa Ibom intercepted a wooden boat on the high seas allegedly conveying drugs to fishing settlements in Cameroon. Three suspects were arrested: Etima Effiong Eekpo, 29, with 1.120kg of skunk; Otobong Eyoh Etukudoh, 33, with 42.060kg of skunk; and Kingsley Effiong John, 27, found with 20 grams of cocaine concealed inside a wrap of edible cassava fufu, plus 435 grams of skunk. A total of 42.622kg was recovered.
First Thai ‘Loud’ seizure at Lagos ports worth N4.4bn
In a maritime first, NDLEA said it intercepted two containers of cannabis indica, known as Loud, shipped from the Port of Laem Chabang, Thailand — signaling a new trafficking route into Nigeria. The drugs have an estimated street value of over N4.4 billion.
At Apapa Port on August 21, a container declared to hold dry fish, rice and vehicle parts was found to contain 1,090.5kg of Thai Loud packed in 2,181 sachets.
At Lekki Deep Sea Port on August 19, another container on the agency’s watchlist yielded 400kg of Loud hidden in four of seven pallets. The remaining pallets contained A4 paper used as cover.
Other major busts
– FCT: On August 22, operatives intercepted 24,410 tramadol pills in a bus from Enugu. A follow-up arrest in Kontagora, Niger State, led to the detention of Sunday Eze, 28.
– Ondo: A cannabis farm in Ijare forest was destroyed on August 19, with 10,000kg of skunk uprooted across four hectares. Also in Akure North, 210kg of skunk and a Toyota Camry were recovered.
– Kwara: On August 21, 1.325kg of methamphetamine and cannabis were seized from a Toyota Starlet on the Ogbomosho-Ilorin expressway. Suspect: Muhammadu Usman, 22.
– Oyo: A 65-year-old woman, Adebayo Kaosarat, was arrested in Ibadan on August 21 with 4.68kg of mixed drugs including Scottish Loud, tramadol and codeine.
– Kano: Chibuzor Madueke, 31, was arrested on August 17 with 73.3kg of skunk.
– Seme: Three relatives — Nasiru Tijjani, 52; Moshood Tijjani, 27; and Salami Tijjani, 27 — were arrested near the border with 48kg of skunk.
– Abia: On August 20, Ikechukwu Anthony Iwuno, 36, was arrested in Umuahia South with 14.4kg of Loud, 2.3kg of Colorado and other opioids.
The agency said it also continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization in schools, worship centres and communities across Kano, Oyo, Kebbi, Taraba and Edo states during the week.
Commending the commands involved, Gen. Marwa urged officers nationwide to sustain the agency’s “balanced approach” to drug control.
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