The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested two elderly men, aged 83 and 78, alongside several other suspects in a series of coordinated anti-drug operations across multiple states.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the arrests were made following intelligence-led raids targeting illicit drug networks.
According to the agency, 83-year-old Pa John Ofiel was arrested on April 28 in Aba, Abia State, after operatives recovered 700 grams of skunk— a strain of cannabis—packaged for retail sale. Ofiel reportedly told investigators he had previously worked as a shoemaker before venturing into drug trafficking.
In a separate operation in Ekiti State, 78-year-old Ogunjobi Samuel was arrested at his residence in Ilupeju-Ekiti on April 30, with 350 grams of the same substance recovered.
The agency also recorded multiple arrests in Oyo State, where two women—Rebecca King, 24, and Olaniyan Opeyemi, 31—were apprehended in connection with the seizure of 1.925kg of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis. King was arrested along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, while Opeyemi was picked up in a follow-up operation in Ibadan.
In another raid in Ibadan, operatives arrested suspected drug dealer Taofik Adeyemi, 49, and his associate Mustapha Oyerinde, 28, recovering 3.085kg of skunk and a vehicle. The agency noted that two of Adeyemi’s associates are already facing prosecution at the Federal High Court.
Further operations across the country led to additional seizures and arrests. In Osun State, a driver, Oladayo Awoyemi, was intercepted with 7kg of skunk and 15 grams of methamphetamine, while a follow-up operation led to the arrest of the alleged owner, Ifedayo Babalola.
In Borno State, operatives arrested a suspect with 76,440 tablets of Tramadol along the Damaturu-Maiduguri Road. Additional interceptions led to the recovery of 14,000 capsules of the same drug and subsequent arrests of linked suspects.
The agency also reported the seizure of 290kg of compressed skunk along the Abuja–Jos Highway in Kaduna State, and nearly 50,000 capsules of Tramadol in Jigawa State.
In Lagos, a raid at Awolowo Market in Mushin resulted in the recovery of 740kg of skunk, while in Edo State, a suspect was arrested with a range of illicit substances, including Loud, Colorado, Tramadol, and methamphetamine.
The NDLEA said its nationwide enforcement efforts are being complemented by ongoing sensitisation campaigns under its War Against Drug Abuse initiative, targeting schools, markets, religious centres, and transport hubs.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Mohamed Marwa, commended officers involved in the operations and urged continued vigilance in tackling drug trafficking across the country.
