NDLEA Arrests Two Elderly Men for Allegedly Supplying Drugs to Secondary School Students in Abia

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two elderly men, aged 84 and 75, for allegedly supplying and selling illicit drugs to secondary school students and other users in Umuahia, the Abia State capital.

The arrests were disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, who said the suspects were apprehended in separate operations based on intelligence and community reports.

According to the statement, 75-year-old Godwin Obulunbiya Obiora was arrested on June 19 after NDLEA operatives received credible intelligence that he was selling illicit substances from his patent medicine store located along Club Road in Umuahia.

During a search of the premises, officers reportedly recovered 4.64 kilograms of opioids, including tramadol and diazepam.

Babafemi stated that investigations revealed the suspect had allegedly been supplying the substances to students and other drug users in the area.

The second suspect, 84-year-old Godfrey Orji, a pensioner, was arrested after he was allegedly caught supplying illicit drugs to two teenage students of Saint Silas Secondary School in Old Umuahia.

According to the NDLEA, school security personnel apprehended Orji and handed him over to the police before the case was subsequently transferred to the agency for further investigation.

The agency disclosed that one of the students, a 15-year-old Senior Secondary School Two (SS2) student, admitted during interrogation that Orji had been supplying him with drugs, which he consumed and also resold to fellow students.

While the two elderly suspects are expected to face prosecution, the affected students have been enrolled in counselling and rehabilitation programmes as part of efforts to address substance abuse among young people.

Major Drug Seizures Across Nigeria

The NDLEA also announced a series of arrests and drug seizures carried out in different parts of the country.

In Lagos State, operatives intercepted a 9.5-kilogram consignment of ADB Chminaca, a synthetic cannabinoid classified as a dangerous psychoactive substance, at a courier company. The shipment, which originated from China, was concealed inside a carton.

In a separate operation, officers recovered 300 grams of Loud, a highly potent strain of cannabis, hidden inside ladies’ handbags at a logistics company.

The agency also raided the residence of a wanted drug suspect, Lukman Badmus, popularly known as "Lukman Ogombo," in the Ogombo area of Ajah, Lagos. During the operation, officers recovered bottles of codeine syrup and quantities of skunk.

A follow-up raid at his wife's shop on Lagos Island led to the seizure of additional codeine syrup, drug paraphernalia, and 42 compressed blocks of skunk weighing 22.5 kilograms.

According to the NDLEA, an attempt by the suspect’s wife to destroy some of the evidence during the operation was successfully prevented by officers.

Arrests in Kogi, Oyo and Edo

In Kogi State, operatives intercepted a 33-year-old suspect, Tochukwu Onah, along the Okene-Lokoja Highway with 1.03 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed inside custard containers while travelling from Lagos to Abuja.

The agency also confirmed the arrest of two suspects who had been declared wanted in connection with the seizure of 117 kilograms of skunk in Ekiti State earlier this year.

In Oyo State, a raid in the Dangote area of Elekara, Oyo town, led to the arrest of three suspects and the recovery of 118 jumbo bags containing 1,416 kilograms of skunk concealed beneath sawdust.

Meanwhile, in Edo State, NDLEA operatives destroyed large cannabis plantations in Owan East and Esan South-East Local Government Areas. The operations resulted in the destruction of more than four tonnes of cannabis and the arrest of a suspect found in possession of 395 kilograms of processed skunk.

Commending officers involved in the operations, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, praised commands in Abia, Lagos, Kogi, Oyo, Ekiti and Edo states for their efforts.

Marwa noted that the agency’s enforcement activities were being complemented by its War Against Drug Abuse campaign and urged officers nationwide to remain committed to combating drug trafficking and substance abuse across the country.