Two grandfathers arrested by NDLEA over sale of illicit drugs to secondary school students
Two grandfathers arrested over sale of illicit drugs to secondary school students
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two elderly men, aged 84 and 75, in Umuahia, Abia State, for allegedly selling illicit drugs to secondary school students.
The agency said the arrests were part of a wider series of nationwide operations that led to significant seizures of narcotics, including synthetic drugs, opioids, cannabis, and codeine syrup, as well as the dismantling of illegal cannabis farms across several states.
In a statement released on Sunday, June 21, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi explained that the operations were carried out against drug trafficking networks operating across the country.
According to the agency, the suspects, identified as 84-year-old Godfrey Orji and 75-year-old Godwin Obulunbiya Obiora, were separately linked to the distribution of drugs to teenagers in Umuahia.
Obiora was arrested on Friday, June 19, 2026, after intelligence reports connected him to drug sales from his patent medicine shop at 4 Club Road, Umuahia. A search of the premises reportedly led to the recovery of 4.64 kilograms of opioids, including tramadol and diazepam.
In a separate case, Orji, a pensioner, was arrested after security personnel at Saint Silas Secondary School in Old Umuahia caught him allegedly supplying drugs to two students. He was handed over to the police, who later transferred the case to the NDLEA on Thursday, June 18.
One of the students, a 15-year-old SS2 pupil, reportedly admitted receiving drugs from him and distributing them to other students.
The agency said both suspects will be prosecuted, while the affected teenagers have been placed under counselling and rehabilitation.
Elsewhere, NDLEA officers intercepted 9.5 kilograms of ADB-Chminaca, a synthetic cannabinoid, at a courier facility in Lagos.
The shipment, originating from China, was concealed in a carton.
In another operation on Tuesday, June 16, 300 grams of “Loud,” a strong cannabis strain, were discovered hidden inside women’s handbags at a logistics company in Lagos.
In a related development, operatives arrested a wanted drug trafficker, Lukman Badmus (also known as Lukman Ogombo), during a raid in Ogombo, Ajah, Lagos. Authorities recovered codeine syrup and cannabis from his residence, while a follow-up search at his wife’s shop on Lagos Island led to additional seizures, including more codeine bottles and drug paraphernalia.
Officers also found 42 blocks of cannabis weighing 22.5 kilograms hidden in a mini-bus parked nearby. His wife was also accused of attempting to destroy evidence during the raid.
In Kogi State, a 33-year-old suspect was arrested along the Okene–Lokoja highway with over 1 kilogram of methamphetamine concealed in custard containers while traveling from Lagos to Abuja.
In Ekiti State, a couple who had been on the run since March 2026 over a 117-kilogram cannabis seizure were apprehended in Efon-Alaaye.
In Oyo State, three suspects, including a 75-year-old man, were arrested after a raid uncovered 1,416 kilograms of cannabis hidden in sacks of sawdust.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives destroyed large cannabis plantations in forest areas and recovered processed cannabis in separate raids, with additional arrests made during follow-up operations.
The agency also said its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign continued nationwide, with sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres, workplaces, and communities across several states, alongside advocacy visits to traditional rulers.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the operatives involved in the operations and urged them to sustain efforts in combating drug trafficking and abuse across the country.
