Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested several suspects for drug offences and intercepted opioids worth over N3.2 billion in raids across the country. The seizures were made at Apapa seaport in Lagos and Port Harcourt port, Onne, Rivers State. Among the arrested suspects are two octogenarians: an 80-year-old grandfather, Ayuba Ashiru, and an 82-year-old grandmother, Mrs Uloma Uchechi Sunday, along with her daughter, Chisom Uchechi, 32.

Ayuba Ashiru had previously been arrested and prosecuted by NDLEA for drug dealing offences, convicted, and served a 10-year jail term between 2014 and 2024. He was arrested again on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, at Barazana Street, Dogarawa area of Sabon Gari Local Council in Kaduna State by NDLEA officers acting on credible intelligence. A total of 2.3 kilogrammes of skunk, packaged in nylons and papers in retail sizes, were recovered from him. He claimed to have been involved in the illicit drug trade for the past 46 years.

Similarly, NDLEA operatives in Abia State on Saturday, May 17, raided the home of 82-year-old Mrs Uloma Uchechi Sunday at Umuaguma Ntigha Uzor village, where different quantities of methamphetamine, tramadol, and skunk, a strain of cannabis, as well as a cash exhibit of N130,600, were recovered from her and her daughter, 32-year-old Chisom Uchechi. The grandmother confessed she and her daughter took over the drug trade after her son, who started the business, died two years ago.

At the Port Harcourt Ports complex in Onne, Rivers State, a total of three million pills of tapentadol and carisoprodol royal 225mg, worth N2.1 billion in street value, were intercepted in one of the containers watch-listed by the agency based on intelligence. The seizure was made on Wednesday, May 14, during a joint examination of the container by NDLEA officers, Customs Service personnel, and other security agencies.

In a similar operation, NDLEA operatives at the Apapa seaport in Lagos on Tuesday, May 13, intercepted another watch-listed container declared to contain new car parts and accessories from India. During a joint examination with other security agencies, a total of 169,800 bottles of codeine syrup worth over N1.1 billion in street value were discovered concealed in the shipment.

In Kwara State, no fewer than 199,200 pills of tramadol were recovered from two suspects, Abdulwahab Quadir and Abdulraheem Ismail, on Friday, May 16, following their arrest at the Gegele area of Ilorin by NDLEA operatives. The operatives also raided Favour Lodge in the state capital, where an HND 1 student of the Department of Laboratory Science Technology, Kwara State Polytechnic, Ibrahim Oladimeji Abdulateef, was arrested with 650 grammes of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, already measured in 149 cups, which he sells to other students.

At a courier company in Lagos, NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) on Friday, May 16, intercepted 250 grammes of cocaine concealed in female headgear destined for Australia.

In Niger State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Mokwa-Jebba road on Thursday, May 15, intercepted a Toyota Carina car marked AGL 945 BK conveying 316 blocks of skunk weighing 143kg. A suspect, Idris Kamal, 35, was arrested. Same day, operatives on patrol at Chachi Junction, along Kaduna road arrested Emmanuel Hassan, 26, with 14.3kg Loud. A swift follow up operation led to the arrest of the actual owner of the consignment, Bello Aliyu (alias Liti), 39.

A 60-year-old suspect, Welman Kengbo, was apprehended by NDLEA officers with 594.8kg skunk at Karu, Nasarawa State, on Friday, May 16. Another suspect, Oyenuga Toheeb, was arrested along Lekki/Epe expressway, Lagos, on Thursday, May 15, with 67.5kg of the same psychoactive substance.

In Taraba State, 5,350 pills of tramadol and diazepam were recovered from a suspect, Shafiu Ismail, 22, when he was arrested on Thursday, May 15, at Sabonlayin, Jalingo LGA, while Tijjani Mohammed, 35, was nabbed with 198kg skunk at Malamawa, Garki LGA, Jigawa State same day.

NDLEA operatives on patrol along Abuja – Kaduna highway on Friday, May 15, intercepted Ismail Isah, 28, with an AK 47 rifle and two magazines concealed in a sack of maize. He will be transferred to the appropriate security agency for further investigation.

The War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities by NDLEA Commands equally continued across the country in the past week. Some of them include: WADA sensitization lecture delivered to students and staff of Supreme International School, Fagge, Kano; Al-Arifeen International Academy, Kaduna; Nadado Primary School, Bakori, Katsina; Ila Orangun Grammar School, Ila Orangun, Osun state; and students and staff of Government Secondary School, Onne, Rivers state; among others.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers and men of DOGI, Abia, Kaduna, Kwara, PHIPC, Apapa, Lagos, Nasarawa, Jigawa, Taraba, and Niger Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week and praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for pursuing a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.