Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested two elderly men, aged 83 and 78, in separate anti-narcotics operations in Abia and Ekiti states, as the agency intensifies its nationwide offensive against illicit drug trafficking.
The arrests were announced on Sunday in a statement by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, who said the operations were based on actionable intelligence.
In Abia State, an 83-year-old suspect, identified as John Ofiel, was apprehended on April 28 during a raid at the Samek area near Powerline in Aba.
NDLEA operatives reportedly recovered 700 grams of skunk, a variant of cannabis, packaged in retail sachets.
The suspect allegedly told investigators he had previously worked as a shoemaker before venturing into the illicit trade.
Similarly, in Ekiti State, officers arrested a 78-year-old man, Samuel Ogunjobi, at his residence on Owode Street in Ilupeju-Ekiti on April 30.
About 350 grams of skunk were said to have been recovered from him.
The agency also recorded major breakthroughs in Oyo State, where two women, Rebecca King, 24, and Olaniyan Opeyemi, 31, were arrested in connection with the seizure of 1.925 kilograms of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis.
King was intercepted along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on April 29, while Opeyemi was picked up at Iwo Road, Ibadan, during a follow-up operation as she attempted to collect the consignment.
In another operation in Ibadan, NDLEA operatives arrested a suspected drug dealer, Taofik Adeyemi, 49, and his associate, Mustapha Oyerinde, 28, on May 2 at Erunmu after months of evading arrest. Recovered items included 3.085 kilograms of skunk and a Toyota Camry vehicle.
The agency disclosed that two of Adeyemi’s alleged accomplices had earlier been arrested in December 2025 and are currently being prosecuted at the Federal High Court in Ibadan.
In Osun State, a 65-year-old driver, Oladayo Awoyemi, was intercepted on April 30 at the Ile-Ife toll gate along the Ibadan-Ilesha Expressway with a carton containing 7 kilograms of skunk and 15 grams of methamphetamine.
A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the alleged owner of the consignment, Ifedayo Babalola, 40, in Ilesha.
In Borno State, NDLEA officers arrested a 27-year-old suspect, Yahaya Shehu, along the Damaturu-Maiduguri road on April 29, recovering 76,440 pills of Tramadol (225mg).
In a separate operation, a truck driver, Magaji Isa, 30, was apprehended with 14,000 capsules of the same drug, while a subsequent raid in Biu led to the arrest of the alleged owner, Abdulhamid Mahmud, 28.
Further interceptions were recorded in Kaduna State, where 290 kilograms of skunk were seized from two suspects, Ojo Major Ebose, 36, and Chika Obiechefula, 32, along the Abuja-Jos highway.
In Jigawa State, operatives recovered 49,800 capsules of Tramadol from two suspects arrested along Bauchi Road in Hadejia, while in Lagos State, a raid at Awolowo Market in Mushin on May 2 yielded 740 kilograms of skunk.
Also, in Edo State, a 25-year-old suspect, Godstime Godspower, was arrested in Idogbo community, Benin City, with assorted illicit substances, including Loud, Colorado, Tramadol, Swinol, and methamphetamine.
The agency noted that its commands across the country have continued to sustain the War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaign in schools, religious centres, workplaces, and communities.
Reacting to the development, the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers involved in the operations and urged them to remain steadfast in both enforcement and public enlightenment efforts.