Abayomi Susan
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered a disturbing drug distribution network allegedly targeting secondary school students, leading to the arrest of two elderly men aged 84 and 75 in Abia State for reportedly supplying illicit substances to teenagers. The development has raised fresh concerns over the increasing penetration of narcotics into school environments.
In a series of coordinated nationwide operations, the agency also intercepted a shipment of synthetic drugs from China, seized cannabis concealed in ladies’ handbags bound for export, arrested a wanted couple linked to a drug syndicate in Ekiti State, and apprehended a 75-year-old grandmother alongside other suspects in a major bust in Oyo State.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the arrests and seizures highlight the evolving sophistication of Nigeria’s illicit drug trade, with both vulnerable elderly persons and schoolchildren increasingly implicated as distributors and victims.
One of the most concerning cases involved 75-year-old Godwin Obiora, arrested in Umuahia, Abia State, after intelligence linked him to the sale of illicit substances to students. A search of his patent medicine shop led to the recovery of 4.64 kilogrammes of opioids, including tramadol and diazepam.
In a separate incident, 84-year-old pensioner Godfrey Orji was arrested after being caught allegedly supplying drugs to students within the premises of Saint Silas Secondary School in Old Umuahia. One of the students reportedly confessed to receiving and reselling the substances. The suspects have since been handed over to authorities, while the minors have been placed under counselling and rehabilitation.
The NDLEA described the situation as a growing threat of drug abuse among adolescents and warned against the increasing exploitation of school environments by traffickers.
In Lagos State, operatives intercepted 9.5 kilogrammes of ADB-Chminaca, a synthetic cannabinoid, concealed in a carton imported from China through a courier company. In another operation, 300 grammes of Loud, a potent cannabis strain, were discovered hidden inside ladies’ handbags at a logistics facility.
Further raids in Lagos led to the arrest of a wanted suspect, Lukman Badmus, with codeine syrup and skunk recovered from his residence in Ogombo, Ajah. A follow-up operation at his wife’s shop on Lagos Island uncovered additional drugs, paraphernalia, and 22.5 kilogrammes of skunk concealed in a minibus.
Elsewhere, NDLEA operatives intercepted 1.03 kilogrammes of methamphetamine hidden in custard containers along the Okene–Lokoja highway in Kogi State.
In Ekiti State, a couple declared wanted since March—James Chukwudi and James Kehinde—were arrested in connection with 117 kilogrammes of skunk. In Oyo State, a 75-year-old suspect, Tudun Olubiyi, and two others were arrested after 1,416 kilogrammes of skunk hidden under sawdust were recovered from a residence in Elekara, Oyo Town.
In Edo State, large-scale cannabis farms were destroyed during raids in forest locations, with over four tonnes of cannabis and processed substances seized, while another suspect, Augustine Anyamone, was arrested with 395 kilogrammes of skunk.
The NDLEA also noted continued nationwide sensitisation efforts under its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, targeting schools, communities, workplaces, and traditional institutions across several states.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier-General Buba Marwa (rtd), commended the officers involved, describing the operations as evidence of the agency’s commitment to both disrupting drug supply networks and strengthening preventive education.
He urged sustained vigilance, warning that the increasing involvement of vulnerable groups underscores the urgent need for continued enforcement and community-based interventions to address Nigeria’s growing drug challenge.
