By Saminu Ibrahim
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has rearrested an 83-year-old woman, Mrs Uloma Uchechi Sunday, for allegedly dealing in methamphetamine and Colorado, barely a year after she was convicted of drug-related offences.
The octogenarian was arrested on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at her residence in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State, with quantities of methamphetamine and Colorado allegedly concealed around her waist with a wrapper.
The NDLEA said her arrest followed credible intelligence indicating that she operated a notorious drug joint allegedly patronised by criminal elements terrorising the community.
According to the agency, Uloma was first arrested on May 17, 2025, alongside her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi, at their residence in the same community.
The operatives reportedly recovered 50 grammes of methamphetamine, 522 grammes of skunk, 260 grammes of fresh cannabis leaves and 12 grammes of tramadol from them.
The mother and daughter subsequently pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment or an option of a N200,000 fine each. They paid the fines and were released.
However, the agency alleged that Uloma returned to the illicit drug trade after her release and subsequently established a drug joint.
In a related operation, NDLEA operatives, working with the Nigeria Customs Service, arrested a South African woman, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Rivers State, for allegedly trafficking 32.74 kilogrammes of cannabis known as Thai Loud.
The consignment, comprising 30 parcels, was reportedly concealed in two travelling bags.
The suspect had travelled from Thailand through Doha aboard a Qatar Airways flight, QR1431. She allegedly confessed to previously trafficking drugs through other African countries, saying she was expanding her route to Port Harcourt when she was arrested.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA operatives also intercepted 354,000 tablets of Tapentadol, each weighing 250mg, concealed in nine cartons shipped from Pakistan.
The consignment, weighing 307.20 kilogrammes, arrived aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight on September 29 and was subjected to a joint examination on Tuesday, October 6.
Similarly, at the Lagos airport, operatives uncovered 70 parcels of Colorado, a synthetic cannabinoid weighing 75.90 kilogrammes, concealed in six Ghana-Must-Go bags in a consolidated cargo from the United Kingdom.
The shipment, which arrived on September 29, was placed under surveillance.
Meanwhile, a 54-year-old clearing agent, John Edrah, was arrested on September 30, followed by Taofiq Ajibola, 54, an Uber driver, who was apprehended while collecting one of the bags at a logistics company in the Mafoluku area of Oshodi.
“Adetunji Adebayo and Kazeem Damola Dosunmu, 48, a clothing trader, were subsequently arrested while allegedly collecting the remaining five bags”.
The agency said Ajibola identified a UK-based associate, Lukman Sa’idu, as the sender of the drugs, while Dosunmu claimed his consignment came from another UK-based individual identified as Yusuf.
In Cross River State, NDLEA operatives, acting on intelligence, raided Iyala Nkun village in Ikom Local Government Area on Sunday, October 4, arresting 46-year-old Adama Inuwa.
The operation led to the seizure of 181 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 1,100 kilogrammes and an additional 17.15 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds.
In Edo State, operatives intercepted a black Toyota Camry conveying 1,049 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 702.83 kilogrammes at Otuo, Owan East Local Government Area, on Monday, October 5.
Three suspects—Monday Orji, 52; Monday Lawal, 40; and Precious Uduegele, 20—were arrested in connection with the seizure.
In a separate operation, 26-year-old Ojugo Mercy was arrested at Asoro, off Sakponba Road, Benin City, with 989 grammes of Loud, 13 grammes of Colorado and 83 grammes of methamphetamine.
In Ondo State, operatives arrested 21-year-old Happy Endurance at her hideout in the Shasha area of Akure on October 5, recovering 29 bags of cannabis weighing 290 kilogrammes.
A separate raid on an apartment in Oba-Ile, Akure, on the same day led to the arrest of 42-year-old Tunde Adebayo, with 35 bags of cannabis weighing 351 kilogrammes.
In Taraba State, NDLEA operatives, supported by soldiers, arrested Abdulrasheed Mohamed, 31, and Abubakar Saidu, 37, at Chanchanji village in Wukari Local Government Area on Friday, October 9.
The suspects were allegedly found with 166,200 tablets of Tramadol, each weighing 225mg, with a combined weight of 107 kilogrammes.
Additionally, a stop-and-search operation along the Kano-Maiduguri Road in Kano State on October 9 led to the arrest of 32-year-old Yahaya Musa.
The operatives recovered 24,990 capsules of Tramadol, 50,000 tablets of Diazepam and 22,000 tablets of Exol-5 from him.
In Kaduna State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Zaria-Kaduna Expressway arrested Mohammed Musa, 29, with 31 jumbo bags and 775 blocks of skunk weighing a combined 1,027 kilogrammes.
Another suspect, Musbau Balogun Adekunle, was arrested in the Orile area of Lagos on October 6 with 32.51 kilogrammes of skunk and 52.65 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds, bringing the total seizure to 85.16 kilogrammes.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives recovered illicit drugs, firearms and ammunition during a raid on the residence of 45-year-old Christian Chukwudi Uju at Rukuba Road, Jos, Plateau State, on Thursday, October 8.
The items recovered included 47 grammes of methamphetamine, two pump-action rifles, one locally made gun, 199 live cartridges, five rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and one round of 9mm ammunition.
Beyond its enforcement operations, the agency said its commands and formations across the country sustained their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities during the week.
The campaign covered Progressive Grammar School, Tede, Oyo State; Ehugbo Technical College, Afikpo, Ebonyi State; Baptist High School, Lambata, Niger State; Madarasatul Tarbiyatul Islamiya, Galangalan Tudun Wada, Kano State; Ipara Senior and Junior Community Secondary School, Badagry, Lagos State; and Manbahu Ridwanullah Nursery and Primary School, Olomore, Abeokuta, Ogun State, among others.
Commending officers and men of the Lagos, MMIA, Port Harcourt International Airport, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Cross River, Ondo and Plateau commands for their operational successes, the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), urged them to sustain their intelligence-driven operations.
Marwa also charged NDLEA personnel nationwide to maintain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control, combining enforcement with public education and sensitisation.
