A 101-year-old great-grandmother has been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for allegedly dealing in cannabis, even as operatives uncovered cocaine cleverly concealed inside edible cassava flour, popularly known as fufu.
The startling arrest was among a string of major drug seizures recorded by the anti-narcotics agency across Nigeria, including the interception of cannabis worth more than N4.4 billion at the Apapa and Lekki ports in Lagos.
The NDLEA said the centenarian, identified as Esther Ogunmabo, was arrested on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at Ilisan, Ogun State, with 90 grammes of skunk packaged in retail sachets.
According to the agency, Ogunmabo told investigators that she ventured into the illicit drug trade after her provisions shop was razed by fire.
She reportedly said one of her daughters, who lives in Lagos, supplied her with the cannabis every four days, which she sold in small quantities to residents.
However, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), directed that the elderly suspect be granted bail and subjected to counselling because of her advanced age.
Her daughter, however, was arrested in connection with the alleged drug operation.
Cocaine Smuggled In Fufu
In Akwa Ibom, NDLEA operatives intercepted a wooden boat allegedly transporting illicit drugs to fishing settlements in Cameroon.
The operation, conducted on Friday, August 21, led to the arrest of three suspects and the recovery of 42.622kg of narcotics.
Among the seized drugs was 20 grammes of cocaine ingeniously concealed inside a large wrap of edible cassava fufu.
The suspect allegedly found with the cocaine, 27-year-old Kingsley Effiong John, was also caught with 435 grammes of skunk.
Two other suspects, Etima Effiong Eekpo, 29, and Otobong Eyoh Etukudoh, 33, were arrested with 1.120kg and 42.060kg of skunk respectively.
The agency said the boat was heading towards Ine Isu, Ine Mbah and Ine Ikot Itie Udung fishing ports in Cameroon.
N4.4bn Loud Seized At Lagos Ports
The NDLEA also announced what it described as its first-ever seizure of illicit drugs shipped from Thailand through Nigeria’s maritime corridor.
Two containers intercepted at the Apapa and Lekki Deep Sea ports yielded a combined 1,490.5kg of cannabis indica, popularly known as Loud, with an estimated street value exceeding N4.4 billion.
At Apapa Port, a container declared to contain dry fish, rice, vehicle spare parts, turmeric soap and inverter batteries was subjected to a joint examination by the NDLEA, Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies on Friday, August 21.
Instead, operatives discovered 1,090.5kg of Thai Loud packed in 54 cartons containing 2,181 sachets of 500 grammes each.
At the Lekki Deep Sea Port, another container already on the NDLEA watchlist was intercepted following monitoring by the agency’s Marine Special Operations Unit.
The container was jointly examined on Wednesday, August 19, leading to the discovery of 400kg of Thai Loud packed in 96 cartons containing 400 parcels.
The remaining three pallets contained 798 rims of A4 paper allegedly used to conceal the drug shipment.
The NDLEA said both containers originated from the Port of Laem Chabang in Thailand, raising concerns over a new maritime route allegedly being exploited by international drug syndicates.
24,410 Tramadol Pills Intercepted
In the Federal Capital Territory, NDLEA operatives intercepted three waybill packages containing 24,410 pills of tramadol capsules.
The packages were discovered inside a Hummer bus travelling from Enugu to Zuba on Saturday, August 22.
A follow-up operation in Niger State led to the arrest of the alleged owner of the consignment, 28-year-old Sunday Eze, in Kontagora. He was subsequently transferred to Abuja.
In Ondo State, NDLEA operatives destroyed 10,000kg of skunk cultivated across four hectares of cannabis farm in Ijare forest, Ifedore Local Government Area.
The operation followed the earlier arrest of three suspected cannabis farmers at the location.
Another operation in Ita-Ogbolu, Akure North LGA, resulted in the recovery of 210kg of skunk and a Toyota Camry allegedly belonging to a suspect identified as Sylvester Dibiagu Anthony, who is currently at large.
Methamphetamine, Opioids Seized Across States
In Kwara State, operatives intercepted a Toyota Starlet along the Ogbomosho-Ilorin Expressway and recovered 1.325kg of methamphetamine concealed in black nylon bags, alongside quantities of cannabis.
A 22-year-old suspect, Muhammadu Usman, was arrested.
In Oyo State, a 65-year-old woman, Adebayo Kaosarat, was arrested at Akobo-Ojuirin, Ibadan, with 4.68kg of assorted illicit substances.
The haul included 1.795kg of Scottish Loud, 1.66kg of tramadol, 600 grammes of codeine syrup, 125 grammes of diazepam and 50 grammes of flunitrazepam.
Kano operatives also arrested 31-year-old Chibuzor Madueke along Hadeija Road with 98 blocks of skunk weighing 73.3kg.
Near the Seme border in Lagos, three members of the same family — Nasiru Tijjani, 52, Moshood Tijjani, 27, and Salami Tijjani, 27 — were arrested with 48kg of skunk.
In Abia State, a raid on the residence of 36-year-old Ikechukwu Anthony Iwuno in Umuahia South Local Government Area yielded 14.4kg of Loud, 2.3kg of Colorado, 386 grammes of tramadol and 134 grammes of Rohypnol.
Commending the officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman Marwa urged personnel across the country to sustain what he described as a balanced approach to the agency’s drug control efforts.
He specifically praised the Ogun, Apapa, Lekki, Seme, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, Oyo, Kwara, Kano, Abia and FCT Commands for their recent breakthroughs.
The agency also continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign in schools, religious centres, workplaces and communities across the country.
The latest operations underscore the widening battle against drug trafficking in Nigeria, as traffickers increasingly resort to unconventional methods — from maritime containers and waybill packages to fishing boats and, in one bizarre case, a wrap of everyday fufu — to move illicit substances.
