By David Oluwatosin
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has rearrested an 83-year-old woman, Mrs Uloma Uchechi Sunday, for alleged drug trafficking barely a year after she was convicted for a similar offence, as the agency intensified its nationwide crackdown on illicit drugs.
The octogenarian was arrested on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at her residence in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State, with quantities of methamphetamine and Colorado, a synthetic cannabinoid, allegedly concealed around her waist with a wrapper.
According to the NDLEA, her arrest followed intelligence reports indicating that she operated a notorious drug joint allegedly harbouring criminal elements responsible for terrorising the community.
The agency said the latest arrest came after her previous encounter with the law on May 17, 2025, when she was apprehended alongside her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi, at the same residence.
During the earlier operation, operatives recovered 50 grammes of methamphetamine, 522 grammes of skunk, 260 grammes of fresh cannabis leaves and 12 grammes of tramadol from the suspects.
The agency said both women pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment or an option of a N200,000 fine each. They subsequently paid the fines and were released.
However, the NDLEA alleged that Uloma returned to the illicit drug trade after her release and expanded her activities by establishing a drug joint.
Her re-arrest forms part of a series of intelligence-led operations across several states, airports and major transportation corridors that resulted in the seizure of large quantities of cannabis, synthetic cannabinoids, methamphetamine, tramadol and other controlled substances.
At the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Rivers State, NDLEA operatives, working with officers of the Nigeria Customs Service, arrested a South African woman, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, with 32.74 kilogrammes of Thai Loud, a potent variety of cannabis.
The suspect was reportedly found with 30 parcels of the substance concealed in two travelling bags.
The agency said she had travelled from Thailand through Doha aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1431 before being intercepted at Port Harcourt.
According to the NDLEA, the suspect confessed to previously trafficking illicit drugs through other African countries and said she was expanding her routes to Port Harcourt when she was arrested.
In another major operation at the Import Shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, operatives intercepted 354,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg weighing 307.20 kilogrammes.
The consignment, packed in nine cartons, originated from Pakistan and arrived aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight.
The NDLEA said the shipment was placed under surveillance upon arrival on September 29, before a joint examination conducted on Tuesday, October 6, uncovered the controlled pharmaceutical substance.
The seizure highlights the agency’s continued efforts to disrupt the importation of illicit and controlled medicines through Nigeria’s international airports.
In a separate operation at the Lagos airport, operatives uncovered 70 parcels of Colorado weighing 75.90 kilogrammes concealed in six Ghana-Must-Go bags inside a consolidated cargo shipment from the United Kingdom.
The shipment had also arrived on September 29 and was subsequently monitored by the agency.
A 54-year-old clearing agent, John Edrah, was arrested on September 30 in connection with the consignment.
Further investigations led to the arrest of Taofiq Ajibola, 54, an Uber driver, who was allegedly collecting one of the bags at a logistics company in the Mafoluku area of Oshodi.
Adetunji Adebayo and Kazeem Damola Dosunmu, 48, a clothing trader, were also arrested after allegedly arriving to collect the remaining five bags.
The agency said Ajibola claimed the drugs were sent by a UK-based associate, Lukman Sa’idu, while Dosunmu said his consignment came from another UK-based individual identified as Yusuf.
In Cross River State, NDLEA operatives arrested a 46-year-old suspect, Adama Inuwa, during a raid on Iyala Nkun village in Ikom Local Government Area on Sunday, October 4.
The operation led to the recovery of 181 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 1,100 kilogrammes, alongside 17.15 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds.
The agency said the raid followed surveillance activities aimed at identifying and dismantling illicit drug operations in the area.
In Edo State, 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 Monday, October 5.
Three suspects — Monday Orji, 52; Monday Lawal, 40; and Precious Uduegele, 20 — were arrested in connection with the seizure.
Another operation in the state led to the arrest of 26-year-old Ojugo Mercy at Asoro, off Sakponba Road, Benin City, with 989 grammes of Loud, 13 grammes of Colorado and 83 grammes of methamphetamine.
The NDLEA also recorded significant seizures in Ondo, Kaduna and Lagos states.
In Akure, Ondo State, operatives arrested 21-year-old Happy Endurance at her hideout in the Shasha area on Monday, October 5, recovering 29 bags of cannabis weighing 290 kilogrammes.
On the same day, another raid on an apartment in Oba-Ile, Akure, led to the arrest of 42-year-old Tunde Adebayo, with 35 bags of cannabis weighing 351 kilogrammes.
In Kaduna State, operatives on patrol along the Zaria-Kaduna Expressway arrested 29-year-old Mohammed Musa with 31 jumbo bags of skunk and 775 blocks of the same substance, with a combined weight of 1,027 kilogrammes.
In Orile, Lagos, a suspect identified as Musbau Balogun Adekunle was arrested on Tuesday, October 6, with 32.51 kilogrammes of skunk and 52.65 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds, bringing the total seizure to 85.16 kilogrammes.
The agency said the operations were part of its sustained efforts to dismantle drug distribution networks and prevent illicit substances from reaching communities across the country.
In Plateau State, NDLEA operatives raided the residence of 45-year-old Christian Chukwudi Uju at Rukuba Road, Jos, on Thursday, October 8, recovering illicit drugs, firearms and ammunition.
The items seized 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.
The recovery of firearms and ammunition alongside illicit drugs underscores the agency’s concerns about the possible links between drug trafficking and other criminal activities.
In Taraba State, NDLEA operatives, supported by soldiers, arrested Abdulrasheed Mohamed, 31, and Abubakar Saidu, 37, at Chanchanji village in Wukari Local Government Area on Friday, October 9.
The suspects were found with 166,200 tablets of tramadol 225mg weighing 107 kilogrammes, according to the agency.
In Kano State, a stop-and-search operation along the Kano-Maiduguri Road on the same day led to the arrest of 32-year-old Yahaya Musa.
The operatives recovered 24,990 capsules of tramadol, 50,000 tablets of diazepam and 22,000 tablets of Exol-5 from the suspect.
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The seizures add to the agency’s ongoing efforts to curb the circulation of controlled pharmaceutical substances, which are frequently abused and diverted into illicit markets.
Commenting on the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers and men of the Lagos, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Port Harcourt International Airport, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Cross River, Ondo and Plateau commands for their professionalism and intelligence-driven operations.
Marwa urged personnel across the country to sustain the momentum and maintain what he described as a balanced approach to drug control.
The chairman also highlighted the importance of combining enforcement with preventive education through the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign.
During the week under review, NDLEA commands conducted awareness programmes in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities across several states.
The outreach activities included lectures at 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, among others.
The agency said the combination of enforcement operations and public sensitisation remained central to its efforts to reduce drug abuse, dismantle trafficking networks and protect communities from the consequences of illicit substances.
The latest operations underscore the scale and geographical spread of drug-related activities confronting enforcement agencies, with seizures recorded at international airports, major highways, residential properties and suspected drug distribution centres.
