NDLEA Arrests 83-Year-Old Grandma 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 allegedly dealing in methamphetamine and Colorado, less than a year after she was convicted of a similar offence….

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has rearrested an 83-year-old woman, Uloma Uchechi Sunday, for allegedly dealing in methamphetamine and Colorado, less than a year after she was convicted of a similar offence.

The agency also arrested a South African woman with 32.74kg of cannabis at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Rivers State, as it recorded major drug seizures across several states.

In a statement on Sunday, NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi said Uloma was arrested on Wednesday, October 7, at her residence in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State.

According to the agency, the octogenarian had quantities of methamphetamine and Colorado tied around her waist with a wrapper when operatives arrested her.

Her arrest followed intelligence reports alleging that she operated a drug joint where criminal elements who terrorised the community gathered.

Uloma was previously arrested on May 17, 2025, alongside her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi, with 50 grammes of methamphetamine, 522 grammes of skunk, 260 grammes of fresh cannabis leaves and 12 grammes of tramadol.

The two women pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment or a fine of ₦200,000 each.

At the Port Harcourt International Airport, NDLEA operatives, working with the Nigeria Customs Service, arrested a South African national, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, with 32.74kg of Thai Loud, a strain of cannabis, concealed in two travelling bags.

The suspect arrived from Thailand through Doha aboard a Qatar Airways flight and reportedly confessed to previously trafficking drugs through other African countries before attempting to expand her route to Port Harcourt.

At the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, operatives intercepted nine cartons shipped from Pakistan aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight.

A joint examination of the consignment on October 6 uncovered 354,000 tablets of tapentadol, each weighing 250mg, with a combined weight of 307.2kg.

In a separate operation, the agency intercepted a shipment from the United Kingdom containing 70 parcels of Colorado weighing 75.9kg, concealed in six Ghana-Must-Go bags.

A clearing agent, John Edrah, 54, was arrested on September 30.

Two other suspects, Taofiq Ajibola, 54, an Uber driver, and Kazeem Damola Dosunmu, 48, a clothing trader, were subsequently arrested while collecting the bags.

Another suspect, Adetunji Adebayo, was also arrested in connection with the consignment.

The suspects reportedly linked the drugs to two UK-based associates identified as Lukman Sa’idu and Yusuf.

In another Lagos operation, NDLEA operatives arrested Musbau Balogun Adekunle in Orile on October 6, recovering 32.51kg of skunk and 52.65kg of cannabis seeds.

Cannabis consignments intercepted across states In Cross River State, operatives arrested Adama Inuwa, 46, in Iyala Nkun village, Ikom Local Government Area, on October 4, recovering 181 bags of cannabis weighing 1,100kg and 17.15kg of cannabis seeds.

In Edo State, officers intercepted a black Toyota Camry conveying 1,049 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 702.83kg at Otuo, Owan East Local Government Area, on October 5.

Three suspects — Monday Orji, 52, Monday Lawal, 40, and Precious Uduegele, 20 — were arrested in connection with the seizure.

Another suspect, Ojugo Mercy, 26, 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, a 21-year-old suspect, Happy Endurance, was arrested in the Shasha area of Akure, where 29 bags of cannabis weighing 290kg were recovered.

On the same day, officers raided an apartment in Oba-Ile, Akure, arresting Tunde Adebayo, 42, with 35 bags of cannabis weighing 351kg.

In Taraba State, operatives supported by soldiers arrested Abdulrasheed Mohamed, 31, and Abubakar Saidu, 37, in Chanchanji village, Wukari Local Government Area, on October 9. They recovered 166,200 tablets of tramadol 225mg weighing 107kg.

A stop-and-search operation along the Kano-Maiduguri Road in Kano State on the same day 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, officers patrolling the Zaria-Kaduna Expressway arrested Mohammed Musa, 29, with 31 jumbo bags and 775 blocks of skunk weighing a combined 1,027kg.

The agency also recovered firearms and ammunition during a raid on the residence of Christian Chukwudi Uju, 45, on Rukuba Road, Jos, Plateau State, on October 8.

The items seized included 47 grammes of methamphetamine, two pump-action rifles, a locally made gun, 199 live cartridges, five rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and one round of 9mm ammunition.

Meanwhile, the agency continued its War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaign in schools, religious centres, workplaces and communities across the country.

The campaign included lectures for students and staff of schools in Oyo, Ebonyi, Niger, Kano, Lagos and Ogun states.

Commending officers of the Lagos, airport, Rivers, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Cross River, Ondo and Plateau commands, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised their professionalism and intelligence-led operations.

Marwa urged officers nationwide to sustain what he described as a balanced approach to the agency’s drug control efforts.

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