The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 101-year-old woman, Esther Ogunmabo, in Ilisan, Ogun State, for allegedly selling cannabis, while officers separately intercepted cocaine concealed inside edible cassava flour, popularly known as fufu, during a nationwide crackdown on illicit drugs.
The arrests and seizures were recorded in operations conducted between August 15 and August 22, 2026, according to the NDLEA. The agency said the operations also resulted in the seizure of more than N4.4 billion worth of synthetic cannabis, known as Loud, at the Apapa and Lekki ports in Lagos.
The case involving Ogunmabo stands out because of her age. NDLEA operatives arrested her on August 15 in Ilisan with 90 grams of skunk, a locally produced strain of cannabis, packaged in retail sachets.
According to the NDLEA, Ogunmabo told investigators that she turned to drug sales after a fire destroyed her provisions shop.
She reportedly said one of her daughters, who lives in Lagos, supplied her with cannabis approximately every four days, after which she sold the drug in smaller quantities to people in the community.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), directed that the elderly suspect be released on bail and undergo counselling because of her advanced age.
However, the agency said her daughter was arrested as part of the investigation into the alleged supply network.
The case highlights how drug enforcement operations can extend beyond conventional trafficking networks to small-scale distribution at community level.
In a separate operation in Akwa Ibom State, NDLEA officers intercepted a wooden boat allegedly transporting illicit drugs towards fishing settlements in Cameroon.
The operation took place on August 21, when three suspects were arrested aboard the vessel.
One of them, 27-year-old Kingsley Effiong John, was allegedly found with 20 grams of cocaine concealed inside a large wrap of cassava fufu. Officers also recovered 435 grams of skunk from him.
The other suspects were identified as 29-year-old Etima Effiong Eekpo, who had 1.120 kilograms of skunk, and 33-year-old Otobong Eyoh Etukudoh, who was allegedly carrying 42.060 kilograms of the same substance.
The combined recovery from the three suspects amounted to 42.622 kilograms of narcotics.
The nationwide operation also uncovered major maritime drug shipments at two Lagos ports.
At Apapa Port, a container declared to contain items including dry fish, rice, vehicle spare parts, turmeric soap and inverter batteries was found to contain 1,090.5 kilograms of Thai Loud.
The shipment consisted of 54 cartons containing 2,181 sachets, with each sachet weighing 500 grams, according to the NDLEA.
At the Lekki Deep Sea Port, officers found another 400 kilograms of Thai Loud in a container that had been placed under surveillance.
The agency said four of seven pallets in the container contained 96 cartons holding 400 parcels of the synthetic cannabis. The remaining pallets contained 798 rims of A4 paper, which investigators said had been used to conceal the drug shipment.
The NDLEA described the seizures as its first interception of illicit drugs shipped from Thailand through the maritime corridor, pointing to a potentially expanding trafficking route into Nigeria.
The latest operations extended across several states, with the NDLEA reporting arrests and recoveries involving cannabis, methamphetamine, tramadol and other controlled substances.
Key seizures and arrests included:
- FCT: 24,410 tramadol capsules were intercepted in three waybill packages travelling from Enugu towards Zuba.
- Ondo: Officers destroyed 10,000 kilograms of skunk cultivated across four hectares at Ijare forest.
- Kwara: A suspect was arrested with 1.325 kilograms of methamphetamine and cannabis along the Ogbomosho-Ilorin route.
- Oyo: A 65-year-old woman was arrested with 4.68 kilograms of various substances, including Loud, tramadol, codeine syrup, diazepam and flunitrazepam.
- Kano: Officers recovered 73.3 kilograms of skunk from a suspect.
- Seme, Lagos: Three members of a family were arrested with 48 kilograms of skunk.
- Abia: Officers recovered Loud, Colorado, tramadol and rohypnol from a suspect’s residence.
The latest seizures show the range of methods allegedly being used to move illicit drugs through Nigeria, including maritime routes, commercial transport, food products and disguised cargo.
The agency’s operations also demonstrate its continued focus on both drug supply reduction and community-level enforcement.
Beyond arrests and seizures, NDLEA said its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) programme continued during the week, with sensitisation activities conducted in schools, religious institutions, workplaces and communities across the country.
The investigation into the Ogun State case is expected to determine the wider network behind the supply of cannabis to the 101-year-old suspect, particularly the role allegedly played by her daughter.
The agency’s handling of the centenarian—through bail and counselling rather than continued detention—also underscores the need to balance enforcement with humanitarian considerations involving elderly suspects.
