The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has re-arrested an 83-year-old woman, Mrs. Uloma Uchechi Sunday, barely a year after she was convicted for drug-related offences, while also arresting a South African woman allegedly trafficking 32.74 kilogrammes of cannabis into Nigeria.
The arrests were among a series of operations that yielded large consignments of illicit drugs across Abia, Lagos, Rivers, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Cross River and Ondo states, alongside the recovery of assorted firearms and ammunition in Plateau State.
In a statement dated Sunday, October 11, 2026, and signed by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA said Uloma was arrested on Wednesday, October 7, at her residence in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State.
According to the agency, quantities of methamphetamine and Colorado, a synthetic cannabinoid commonly known as “Colos,” were found tied around her waist with a wrapper.
The NDLEA said her re-arrest followed credible intelligence that she operated a drug joint allegedly harbouring criminal elements responsible for terrorising the community.
The agency recalled that Uloma was first arrested on May 17, 2025, alongside her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi, at the same residence.
They were found with 50 grammes of methamphetamine, 522 grammes of skunk, 260 grammes of fresh cannabis leaves and 12 grammes of tramadol.
Both women pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment or an option of a ₦200,000 fine each. They paid the fines and were released by the court.
The NDLEA alleged that Uloma subsequently returned to the illicit drug trade and established a drug joint where she allegedly accommodated dangerous individuals.
South African woman arrested with 32.74kg of cannabis
At the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Rivers State, NDLEA operatives, working with the Nigeria Customs Service, arrested a South African woman, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, with 30 parcels of Thai Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 32.74 kilogrammes.
The consignment was concealed in two travelling bags, according to the agency.
Babafemi said the suspect had travelled from Thailand through Doha aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1431. She reportedly confessed to having previously trafficked drugs through other African countries and said she was expanding her route to Port Harcourt when she was arrested.
354,000 opioid tablets intercepted in Lagos
At the Import Shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted nine cartons of drugs shipped from Pakistan aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight.
The consignment was placed under surveillance upon arrival on September 29. A joint examination conducted on Tuesday, October 6, uncovered 354,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg, weighing 307.20 kilogrammes.
In a separate operation at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives uncovered 70 parcels of Colorado weighing 75.90 kilogrammes in six Ghana-Must-Go bags contained in a consolidated cargo from the United Kingdom.
The cargo had also arrived on September 29 and was subsequently monitored by the agency.
A clearing agent, John Edrah, 54, was arrested on September 30 as the first suspect in the operation.
The agency said Taofiq Ajibola, 54, an Uber driver, was later arrested while 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 subsequently arrested when they arrived to collect the remaining five bags.
According to the NDLEA, Ajibola claimed that the drugs had been sent by a UK-based associate, Lukman Sa’idu, while Dosunmu said his consignments came from another UK-based individual identified as Yusuf.
Cannabis seizures across Cross River, Edo and Ondo
In Cross River State, NDLEA operatives raided Iyala Nkun village in Ikom Local Government Area on Sunday, October 4, following surveillance operations.
The raid led to the arrest of Adama Inuwa, 46, with 181 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 1,100 kilogrammes, as well as 17.15 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds.
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.
Monday Orji, 52, Monday Lawal, 40, and Precious Uduegele, 20, were arrested in connection with the seizure.
In a separate raid at Asoro, off Sakponba Road, Benin City, operatives arrested Ojugo Mercy, 26, with 989 grammes of Loud, 13 grammes of Colorado and 83 grammes of methamphetamine.
In Ondo State, NDLEA operatives on Monday, October 5, arrested 21-year-old Happy Endurance at her hideout in the Shasha area of Akure, where 29 bags of cannabis weighing 290 kilogrammes were recovered.
On the same day, a raid on an apartment in Oba-Ile, Akure, led to the arrest of Tunde Adebayo, 42, with 35 bags of cannabis weighing 351 kilogrammes.
Tramadol, Diazepam seized in Taraba, Kano
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 allegedly found with 166,200 tablets of Tramadol 225mg weighing 107 kilogrammes.
On the same day, a stop-and-search operation along the Kano-Maiduguri Road in Kano State led to the arrest of Yahaya Musa, 32.
The agency said he was found with 24,990 capsules of Tramadol, 50,000 tablets of Diazepam and 22,000 tablets of Exol-5.
In Kaduna State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Zaria-Kaduna Expressway arrested Mohammed Musa, 29, with 31 jumbo bags of skunk and 775 blocks of the same substance, with a combined weight of 1,027 kilogrammes.
Meanwhile, in the Orile area of Lagos State, 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.
Rifles, ammunition recovered in Plateau
In Plateau State, NDLEA operatives on Thursday, October 8, raided the residence of 45-year-old Christian Chukwudi Uju along Rukuba Road, Jos, where they recovered 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.
NDLEA intensifies drug abuse awareness campaigns
Beyond enforcement operations, the agency said its commands and formations across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities during the past week.
The outreach programmes included enlightenment lectures for students and staff of 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 NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended officers and personnel of the Lagos, MMIA, PHIA, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Cross River, Ondo and Plateau commands for what he described as their professionalism and intelligence-driven operations.
Marwa urged them and other personnel nationwide to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control.
