NDLEA arrests 83-year-old woman again, seizes meth, Colorado, 1.1 tonnes of cannabis

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has rearrested an 83-year-old woman, Uloma Uchechi Sunday, for alleged drug trafficking, barely a year after she was convicted of a similar offence.

The agency also arrested a South African woman, known as Thai Loud, with 32.74 kilograms of cannabis at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Rivers State, as it intercepted large consignments of illicit drugs across several states.

The operations resulted in seizures of methamphetamine, Colorado, cannabis, Tramadol, Diazepam and other controlled substances in Abia, Lagos, Rivers, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Cross River and Ondo states. NDLEA operatives also recovered firearms and ammunition during a raid in Plateau State.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the agency arrested Uloma on Wednesday, October 7, at her residence in Ite- Uzo, Umuaguma, Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State.

The octogenarian was allegedly found with quantities of methamphetamine and Colorado, a synthetic cannabinoid, tied around her waist in a wrapper.

Babafemi said her arrest followed intelligence indicating that she operated a notorious drug joint allegedly patronised by criminal elements terrorising the community.

Uloma was previously arrested on May 17, 2025, alongside her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi, at the same residence. Operatives recovered 50 grams of methamphetamine, 522 grams of skunk, 260 grams of fresh cannabis leaves and 12 grams of Tramadol during the operation.

Both women pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, with the option of a N200,000 fine each. They paid the fines and were released.

The NDLEA said Uloma subsequently returned to the drug trade and allegedly established a drug joint where she accommodated dangerous characters.

At the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, a South African national, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, was arrested with 30 parcels of Thai Loud weighing 32.74 kilograms.

The drugs were concealed in two travelling bags, according to the agency. The suspect had reportedly travelled from Thailand through Doha aboard a Qatar Airways flight and allegedly confessed to previously trafficking drugs through other African countries before expanding her operations to Port Harcourt.

At Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA operatives, working with other relevant agencies, intercepted 354,000 Tapentadol tablets, each weighing 250mg, in a shipment from Pakistan.

The nine-carton consignment arrived aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight on September 29 and was placed under surveillance. A joint examination on October 6 uncovered the tablets, which weighed 307.20 kilogrammes.

In a separate operation at the Lagos airport, operatives intercepted 70 parcels of Colorado weighing 75.90 kilogrammes in six Ghana-Must-Go bags concealed in a consolidated cargo from the United Kingdom.

The shipment, which arrived on September 29, led to the arrest of 54-year-old clearing agent John Edrah on September 30.

An Uber driver, Taofiq Ajibola, 54, was subsequently arrested while attempting to collect one of the bags at a logistics company in Mafoluku, Oshodi. Police later arrested Adetunji Adebayo and Kazeem Damola Dosunmu, 48, a clothing trader, when they arrived to collect the remaining five bags.

Ajibola reportedly identified a UK-based associate, Lukman Sa’idu, as the sender of the drugs, while Dosunmu allegedly said his consignments came from another UK-based individual identified as Yusuf.

In Cross River State, an operation at Iyala Nkun village in Ikom Local Government Area on Sunday, October 4, led to the arrest of Adama Inuwa, 46, with 181 bags of cannabis weighing 1,100 kilogrammes and 17.15 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds.

In Edo State, NDLEA 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 October 5.

Police arrested three suspects, Monday Orji, 52, Monday Lawal, 40, and Precious Uduegele, 20, in connection with the seizure.

In a separate operation at Asoro, off Sakponba Road, Benin City, operatives arrested Ojugo Mercy, 26, with 989 grammes of Loud, 13 grammes of Colorado and 83 grammes of methamphetamine.

In Ondo State, a 21-year-old suspect, Happy Endurance, was arrested at her hideout in the Shasha area of Akure on October 5, with 29 bags of cannabis weighing 290 kilogrammes.

On the same day, another operation at an apartment in Oba-Ile, Akure, led to the arrest of Tunde Adebayo, 42, 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, Wukari Local Government Area, on October 9.

The suspects were allegedly found with 166,200 tablets of Tramadol, 225mg, weighing 107 kilogrammes.

Similarly, a stop-and-search operation along the Kano-Maiduguri Road in Kano State on October 9 led to the arrest of Yahaya Musa, 32, with 24,990 capsules of Tramadol, 50,000 tablets of Diazepam and 22,000 tablets of Exol-5.

In Kaduna State, operatives on patrol along the Zaria-Kaduna Expressway arrested Mohammed Musa, 29, with 31 jumbo bags of skunk and 775 blocks of the same substance, with a combined weight of 1,027 kilogrammes.

Another suspect, Musbau Balogun Adekunle, was arrested in Orile, 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 firearms and ammunition during a raid on the residence of Christian Chukwudi Uju, 45, at Rukuba Road, Jos, Plateau State, on 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 the arrests and seizures, the agency said its commands and formations continued public enlightenment activities under its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign.

The sensitisation exercises included lectures for students and staff of 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.

The NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.) commended officers of the Lagos, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Port Harcourt International Airport, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Cross River, Ondo and Plateau commands for what he described as professional, intelligence-driven operations.

Marwa urged personnel nationwide to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control, combining enforcement operations with public education and sensitisation.

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