NDLEA arrests 83-year-old ex-convict, South African lady with Colos, Meth shipments

… Seizes consignments of illicit drugs in Lagos, Taraba, Kano, others

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has again arrested 83-year-old Uloma Sunday, an ex-convict, with consignments of Methamphetamine and Colorado concealed around her waist, barely a year after she was nabbed, prosecuted and convicted for the same offence.

Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA director of media and advocacy, said in a statement on Sunday that the octogenarian was arrested on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at her home in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, Obingwa LGA, Abia State, with quantities of Methamphetamine and Colorado tied to her waist with a wrapper.

According to the anti-narcotics agency, ” her re-arrest followed credible intelligence indicating that she runs a notorious drug joint that harbours criminal elements who terrorise the community”

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Uloma’s first encounter with the law was on May 17, 2025, when she was arrested by NDLEA operatives at her residence in the same village alongside her daughter, Chisom Uchechi, 32, with 50 grams of methamphetamine, 522 grams of skunk, 260 grams of fresh cannabis leaves and 12 grams of tramadol.

“Both pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment or a fine of N200,000 each,” Babafemi said in the statement.

They were said to have paid the fine and were subsequently released by the court.

“Undeterred, the notorious old woman promptly returned to the criminal trade and escalated the scale by setting up a drug joint where she harbours dangerous characters,” the statement said.

The NDLEA said its operatives also arrested a South African lady, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, with 30 parcels of Thai Loud, a species of cannabis, weighing 32.74 kilograms, concealed in two travelling bags, at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Rivers State, working in synergy with men of the Customs Service.

“The suspect had travelled from Thailand via Doha aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1431. She confessed to having previously trafficked through other African countries, and was expanding her route to Port Harcourt when she was caught.”

In a related development, the NDLEA said its operatives at the Import Shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, also intercepted a consignment of nine cartons from Pakistan aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight.

“The cargo was placed under watch on arrival on September 29. A joint examination of the shipment on Tuesday, 6th October uncovered 354,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg weighing 307.20kg”.

In another interdiction at the Lagos airport, a consolidated cargo from the United Kingdom was monitored after arriving on 29th September. Six Ghana-Must-Go bags were found to contain 70 parcels of Colorado, a synthetic cannabinoid weighing 75.90kg.

A clearing agent, John Edrah, 54, was the first suspect to be arrested on 30th September, before Taofiq Ajibola, 54, an Uber driver, was arrested while collecting one of the bags at a logistics company in the Mafoluku area of Oshodi, followed by Adetunji Adebayo and Kazeem Damola Dosunmu, 48, a clothing trader, who came for the remaining five.

“Ajibola said the drugs were sent by a UK-based associate, Lukman Sa’idu, while Dosunmu said his own consignments came from another UK-based man identified as Yusuf,” the statement said.

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Several surveillance operations by NDLEA operatives across the country led to several seizures and arrests of suspects behind the peddling of hard drugs.

A raid on Iyala Nkun village, Ikom LGA, Cross River State, by NDLEA officers on Sunday, 4th October led to the arrest of Adama Inuwa, 46, with 181 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 1,100kg and 17.15kg of cannabis seeds.

In Edo, NDLEA operatives intercepted a black Toyota Camry at Otuo, Owan East LGA, on Monday, 5th October, conveying 1,049 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 702.83kg. Monday Orji, 52, Monday Lawal, 40, and Precious Uduegele, 20, were arrested in connection with the seizure.

“In another raid, Ojugo Mercy, 26, was arrested at Asoro, off Sakponba Road, Benin City, with 989 grams of Loud, 13 grams of Colorado and 83 grams of methamphetamine.

The NDLEA also revealed that a 21-year-old suspect, Happy Endurance, was trailed to her hideout in Shasha area of Akure, Ondo State, where 29 bags of cannabis weighing 290kg were recovered by NDLEA operatives on Monday, 5th October.

The same day, a raid on an apartment at Oba-Ile, Akure, led to the arrest of Tunde Adebayo, 42, with 35 bags of the same psychoactive substance weighing 351kg.

In Taraba, NDLEA operatives supported by soldiers on Friday 9th October arrested Abdulrasheed Mohamed, 31, and Abubakar Saidu, 37, at Chanchanji village, Wukari LGA, with 166,200 tablets of Tramadol 225mg weighing 107kg.

On the other hand, a stop-and-search operation by NDLEA officers along the Kano-Maiduguri road, Kano, on Friday 9th October led to the arrest of Yahaya Musa, 32, with 24,990 capsules of Tramadol, 50,000 tablets of Diazepam and 22,000 tablets of Exol-5.

In Kaduna, 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 1,027kg.

In Orile, Lagos, a suspect, Musbau Adekunle, was arrested on Tuesday, 6th October, with 32.51kg of skunk and 52.65kg of its seeds, totalling 85.16kg.

Assorted rifles and ammunition were recovered along with illicit drugs by NDLEA operatives who raided the residence of a 45-year-old Christian Chukwudi at Rukuba Road, Jos, Plateau State on Thursday, 8th October.

The raid led to the seizure of 47grams of methamphetamine, two pump-action rifles, one locally made gun, 199 live cartridges, five rounds of 7.62mm and one round of 9mm ammunition.

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The agency said its Commands and formations across the country also continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities to schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities, among others, in the past week.

These include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Progressive Grammar School, Tede, Oyo State; Ehugbo Technical College, Afikpo, Ebonyi; Baptist High School, Lambata, Niger State;

Madarasatul Tarbiyatul Islamiya, Galangalan Tudun Wada, Kano; Ipara Senior and Junior Community Secondary School, Badagry, Lagos; and Manbahu Ridwanullah Nursery and Primary School, Olomore Abeokuta, Ogun State, among others.