LAGOS, Nigeria — Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested septuagenarian grandparents in separate operations in Edo and Bayelsa States, recovering over 1,500 kilograms of skunk cannabis, the agency announced in a statement signed by its Director of Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
In Edo State, 73-year-old James Ugbedo was apprehended on Friday, November 7, at a cannabis plantation in Igbeshi Forest, Imiakebo, Etsako East LGA, where officers destroyed 1,459.75kg of skunk and recovered 5.6kg of the substance.
Meanwhile, in Bayelsa State, 70-year-old Mrs. Comfort Odudu was arrested on Tuesday, November 4, at Onopa, Yenagoa, in possession of 5kg of skunk cannabis.
NDLEA operations also continued in Kogi and Abuja, where officers seized 7.6kg of Loud, a potent cannabis strain, along the Okene–Lokoja highway. A follow-up operation in Abuja led to the arrest of the owner, 40-year-old Chukwunonso Anieze, and recovery of 175,000 opioid pills from a related consignment.
Additionally, three suspects — Olayide Oyidiran (39), Abdulsalam Abdulsalam (28), and Opeyemi Tijjani (39) — were arrested on Wednesday, November 5, at the Abuja–Kaduna tollgate. They were transporting 769kg of skunk from Lagos en route to Kano via Owo, Ondo State.
NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) commended the officers for their successful operations nationwide and encouraged continued enforcement efforts.
“The dismantling of yet another clandestine laboratory and the arrest of the kingpin behind it in Lekki, coming barely a week after similar actions in Ajao Estate, Lagos, shows that these are just the first of many strikes against merchants of death. Let it be known that NDLEA, supported by local and international partners, will continue to hunt them and bring them to justice,” Marwa said.
The agency continues its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaigns, sensitizing schools, workplaces, and communities to curb drug abuse and strengthen public awareness.
