An 83-year-old grandmother is back in police custody barely a year after being convicted of drug-related offences, as the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency intensifies its nationwide crackdown on illicit drugs, arresting several suspects and intercepting massive shipments of narcotics across multiple states.
The elderly suspect, identified as Uloma Uchechi Sunday, is arrested at her residence in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State, with methamphetamine and Colorado, a synthetic cannabinoid, allegedly concealed around her waist with a wrapper.
According to the NDLEA, her arrest on October 7, 2026, follows intelligence reports alleging that she operates a drug joint where criminal elements gather and terrorise residents.
The agency says Uloma was previously arrested in May 2025 alongside her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi, over possession of methamphetamine, cannabis and tramadol. Both women pleaded guilty and received 12-month prison sentences or fines of 200,000 naira each. They reportedly paid the fines and were released.
In another major operation, NDLEA operatives arrest a South African woman, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, at the Port Harcourt International Airport in Rivers State.
The suspect is allegedly found with 30 parcels of Thai Loud, a cannabis variety weighing 32.74 kilogrammes, concealed inside two travelling bags. Investigators say she arrives from Thailand through Doha aboard a Qatar Airways flight and allegedly admits to previous drug-trafficking trips through other African countries.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, officers intercept nine cartons arriving from Pakistan and uncover 354,000 tablets of tapentadol, a powerful opioid painkiller, weighing more than 307 kilogrammes.
The agency also uncovers 70 parcels of Colorado weighing 75.9 kilogrammes in six Ghana-Must-Go bags concealed in a consolidated cargo shipment from the United Kingdom.
Several suspects are arrested in connection with the Lagos interceptions, including a clearing agent, an Uber driver and a clothing trader. The NDLEA says investigations point to alleged links with individuals based in the United Kingdom.
The nationwide operations extend to Cross River State, where officers recover 1,100 kilogrammes of cannabis from 181 bags in Ikom Local Government Area, alongside 17.15 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds.
In Edo State, operatives intercept a Toyota Camry allegedly transporting 1,049 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing approximately 703 kilogrammes. Three suspects are arrested in connection with the seizure. Another operation in Benin City leads to the arrest of a 26-year-old woman with Loud, Colorado and methamphetamine.
Ondo State also records significant seizures, with officers recovering 290 kilogrammes of cannabis from a suspect’s hideout in Akure and another 351 kilogrammes from an apartment in Oba-Ile.
In Taraba State, two men are arrested with 166,200 tramadol tablets weighing 107 kilogrammes. In Kano, a separate operation leads to the seizure of nearly 25,000 tramadol capsules, 50,000 diazepam tablets and 22,000 tablets of Exol-5.
Kaduna State records another major interception, as officers recover cannabis weighing more than one tonne from a suspect along the Zaria-Kaduna Expressway. In Lagos, another suspect is arrested with more than 85 kilogrammes of cannabis and cannabis seeds.
Beyond the drug seizures, the agency reports recovering firearms and ammunition during a raid on a residence along Rukuba Road in Jos, Plateau State. The items include two pump-action rifles, a locally made gun, 199 live cartridges and additional rounds of ammunition, alongside methamphetamine.
Mediaplusng.com reports that the scale of these operations highlights the continuing challenge of drug trafficking, the illegal distribution of controlled medicines and the potential dangers associated with illicit substances in Nigerian communities.
The NDLEA also continues its War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaign, organising awareness programmes in schools, religious centres, workplaces and communities across several states.
The agency’s chairman and chief executive officer, Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retired), commends officers involved in the operations and urges commands nationwide to sustain intelligence-led enforcement alongside public education.
As investigations continue, the agency’s latest operations send a strong warning to suspected drug traffickers and distributors while underscoring the importance of community cooperation in confronting substance abuse and organised drug crime.
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