Eric Patrick
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested an 80-year-old ex-convict, Ayuba Ashiru, for possessing 2.3 kilograms of skunk—a potent strain of cannabis—packaged in nylons and papers for street retail in Kaduna State.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi disclosed the arrest in a statement posted on the agency’s official Facebook page on Sunday, May 18.
Ashiru was apprehended on May 14, 2025, at Barazana Street, Dogarawa area, in Sabon Gari Local Government Area, following credible intelligence.
According to Babafemi, the suspect is a notorious drug dealer who had previously been convicted for similar offences. He served a 10-year prison sentence from 2014 to 2024 and reportedly confessed to being in the illicit drug trade for the past 46 years.
In a separate operation, the NDLEA also arrested 82-year-old Uloma Uchechi Sunday and her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi, in Abia State on May 17.
During a raid on their residence at Umuaguma Ntigha Uzor village, officers recovered methamphetamine, tramadol, skunk, and cash amounting to ₦130,600. Uloma confessed that she and her daughter took over the drug business after the death of her son, who had initially established it.
Massive Seizures at Nigerian Ports
Babafemi also revealed that a significant seizure of three million pills of tapentadol and carisoprodol royal, with an estimated street value of ₦2.1 billion, was made at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex in Onne, Rivers State. The interception occurred on May 14, during a joint inspection involving the NDLEA, Nigeria Customs Service, and other security agencies. The shipment had been watch-listed based on prior intelligence.
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Another operation at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos on May 13 led to the interception of a watch-listed container declared as carrying car parts and accessories from India. A total of 169,800 bottles of codeine syrup, worth over ₦1.1 billion, were discovered hidden within the container.
Crackdown in Kwara State
In Kwara State, NDLEA operatives recovered 199,200 tramadol pills from suspects Abdulwahab Quadir and Abdulraheem Ismail on May 16, following their arrest at Gegele area of Ilorin.
The same day, a raid at Favour Lodge in Ilorin led to the arrest of Ibrahim Oladimeji Abdulateef, an HND 1 student of the Laboratory Science Technology Department, Kwara State Polytechnic. He was caught with 650 grams of “Loud”, a high-grade variant of cannabis, already portioned into 149 cups for sale.
The NDLEA continues to ramp up operations nationwide as it clamps down on drug trafficking networks threatening public health and national security.