80-Year-Old Ex-Convict, Drug Traffickers Nabbed as NDLEA Seizes Large Haul of Narcotics Across Nigeria

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested an 80-year-old ex-convict, Jeremiah Isaiah Nkanta, alongside several other suspected drug traffickers in a series of coordinated operations across multiple states in Nigeria.

Nkanta, a grandfather, was apprehended just three years after completing a two-year prison sentence for drug trafficking.

According to the NDLEA, Nkanta was first arrested on December 14, 2022, prosecuted at the Federal High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and sentenced to two years in prison for dealing in illicit drugs.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Director of Media and Advocacy at NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, Femi Babafemi, disclosed that operatives tracked Nkanta to his Mmanta-Abak village in Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State on Saturday, January 10, 2025.

During the operation, officers found him in possession of 5.7 kilograms of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis.

In another operation on Friday, January 9, NDLEA officers patrolling the Oron-Ibaka route in Oron LGA, Akwa Ibom State, intercepted 37-year-old businessman Ani Onyebuchi Romans, who was traveling with full-body mannequins for his Cameroon-based clothing business.

A search of the mannequins uncovered 5.3 kilograms of tramadol pills concealed inside them.

Babafemi said Romans, who claimed to reside in Cameroon, had purchased the drugs in Onitsha, Anambra State, and was attempting to smuggle them into Cameroon for sale.

In Oyo State, NDLEA operatives raided multiple locations in Ibadan, leading to the seizure of 10.696 kilograms of various cannabis strains, including Colorado, Scottish Loud, Ghana Loud, Canadian Loud, and skunk.

Among those arrested was 45-year-old Remi Bamidele, popularly known as “Aluko the Mafia.” Two vehicles, a Toyota Venza and a Toyota Yaris (HG 06 LYD), were recovered from him. He was also found with ₦1,307,100 in cash.

Other arrests in Ibadan included:

• Adeola Toheeb, 27, arrested in the Adegbayi area with different quantities of Colorado, Ghana Loud, and skunk.

• Habeeb Ali, 29, arrested at Ring Road with 1.264 kg of Colorado, Scottish Loud, and skunk.

In Edo State, Osagbovo Edigin, 30, a dispatch rider, was arrested alongside Ebimi Labo, 28, and Akhimie Success, 25, on Ihama/Airport Road in Benin City. Officers recovered 118 grams of Canadian Loud and a wrap of Colorado.

Also in Edo:

• Evelyn Okoyomon, 38, was arrested in Ubiaja with 930 grams of skunk.

• Jimoh Agbonmhegbe, 49, was arrested in Irrua with 17.552 kg of Colorado, Loud, and skunk.

In Taraba State, Yusuf Usman, 41, was apprehended in Lankaviri, Yorro LGA, with 100 blocks of skunk weighing 47 kilograms, while Nazifi Umar, 22, was arrested in Dakwa town, Tafa LGA, with 4,000 tramadol 225mg pills.

In Adamawa State, Ugwoke Chibueze, 40, was arrested at Lamido Aliyu Mustapha International Airport, Yola. A follow-up search of his residence in Bachure, Yola South LGA, led to the recovery of 30,950 tramadol capsules.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), commended the agency’s commands in Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, Taraba, Edo, Oyo, and Niger States for the successful operations.

He praised their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction, as the agency continues its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) through sensitization campaigns in schools, places of worship, workplaces, and communities.