NDLEA Intensifies War on Drugs: 75-Year-Old Grandpa Among Major Traffickers Arrested in Nationwide Crackdown
In a sweeping nationwide operation underscoring the relentless battle against narcotics, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has made a series of significant arrests and seizures, including the apprehension of a 75-year-old grandfather and the destruction of a massive cannabis plantation in Taraba State. The operations, which spanned multiple states over several days in late August, highlight the sophisticated and widespread nature of the illicit drug trade in Nigeria and the agency’s multi-agency approach to combating it.
A Grandfather’s Vast Cannabis Empire in Taraba
The most striking case involves 75-year-old Andrew, whose advanced age belied his extensive involvement in the drug trade. On Tuesday, August 26th, a formidable joint task force comprising NDLEA operatives, personnel from the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Forest Security Service, the Mambila Youth Vanguard, and local Vigilante groups, descended upon a remote forest in Sardauna Local Government Area of Taraba State.
Their target was Andrew’s sprawling 71.5-hectare cannabis farm, hidden deep within the Mayodoga forest in the Mayosabere ward. The operation resulted in the complete destruction of an astonishing 178,750 kilograms of skunk, a potent and high-value strain of cannabis. The sheer scale of the farm points to a highly organized and well-funded operation, challenging stereotypes about who participates in the narcotics trade. Andrew was arrested on site with a Dane gun, adding a charge of illegal possession of a firearm to his alleged narcotics offenses.
Intercepting Opioids Destined for Insurgency-Ravaged Regions
In a separate but equally critical operation on Friday, August 29th, NDLEA operatives demonstrated sharp intelligence and interdiction capabilities at the Abuja/Kaduna tollgate in Kaduna State. Acting on a tip, officers intercepted a fuel tanker suspected of carrying contraband. A meticulous search of the vehicle’s driver’s compartment revealed a cleverly concealed cache of 104,900 capsules of tramadol, a powerful synthetic opioid.
Preliminary investigations suggest the illicit shipment was destined for insurgent groups operating in parts of Borno State. The interception of such a large quantity of painkillers, often used to enhance endurance and numb pain in conflict zones, is a significant blow to the logistics chains of non-state armed actors. The driver, Hassan Buba, was immediately taken into custody for further investigation.
Kaduna and Borno: Major Supply Hubs in the Crosshairs
The agency’s efforts in the North-West and North-East continued unabated. On Saturday, August 30th, 45-year-old Kabir Sulaiman was not so lucky. NDLEA officers manning the Gwargwaje – Zaria check point in Kaduna State nabbed him with 34.150kg of skunk in his possession.
Perhaps the most significant bust in the region occurred in Maiduguri, Borno State. Following weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance, operatives moved in on a major supplier of illicit opioids, 33-year-old Uchenna Umeh. He was arrested on Saturday, August 30th, shortly after receiving a fresh shipment from Onitsha, Anambra State—a known hub for pharmaceutical products.
A subsequent raid on his apartment in the Chescon area of Pompomary, Maiduguri, yielded a staggering haul: 30,640 pills of tramadol 225mg; 7,940 tablets of flunitrazepam (commercially known as Rohypnol, a potent sedative); and a cash sum of N7,999,200. This seizure points to a highly lucrative trade feeding addiction in the conflict-affected region.
Nasarawa, Adamawa, and Kano: A Web of Interconnected Trafficking
The interdiction efforts extended into central Nigeria. In Nasarawa State, a series of operations netted significant results. On Thursday, August 28th, Abubakar Dauda, 36, was arrested at the Abacha park in Mararaba Karu with 79,040 pills of tramadol and diazepam. This arrest followed another on Tuesday, August 26th, in Lafia, where Babangida Tungura, 47, was caught with 30,410 pills of tramadol and Rohypnol, plus 38 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup. The drugs were ingeniously concealed inside a deep freezer and transported from Asaba, Delta State.
In Adamawa State, a follow-up operation on Wednesday, August 27th, led to the arrest of 23-year-old Mohammed Ali in Ngorore. This was after NDLEA officials first intercepted a way-billed consignment of 15,000 capsules of tramadol, which had been hidden in sacks of animal feed at the Gombe mega park.
Kano State emerged as another critical flashpoint. On Tuesday, August 26th, the duo of Ashiru Garba, 20, and Aminu Abdu, 22, were arrested along the Kano-Hadeja road with 1.5kg of skunk and 25,000 pills of exol-5 (a brand of tramadol). Two days later, on Thursday, August 28th, Ali Muhammad, 37, and Muhammad Maishanu, 42, were nabbed at Gadan Tamburawa along the Zaria-Kano road. Their vehicle contained 8,080 bottles of a New Psychoactive Substance (NPS) and 25.7kg of skunk.
The Kano operations culminated on August 30th with the seizure of a colossal 250,000 tablets of exol-5 from a suspect, Alhasaan Musa, 25, in the Zango area of Ungogo LGA. This was closely linked to an earlier interception on August 25th in Adamawa state, where a patrol team stopped a golf saloon car (GME 253 HP) driven by Sani Suleiman. The vehicle, loaded with sacks of pepper, concealed 79 blocks of skunk weighing 58kg.
Southern Operations: Edo, Ondo, Lagos, and Ekiti Strikes
The NDLEA’s crackdown was not limited to the northern regions. In Edo State, operatives on patrol along the Ewu-Auchi road in Etsako West LGA intercepted a commercial bus coming from Onitsha, Anambra State, and heading to Okene, Kogi State. A search revealed 64,250 pills of opioids, mainly tramadol. A suspect, Mohammed Halidu, 36, was arrested in connection with the seizure.
In Ondo State, a known hotspot for cannabis cultivation, NDLEA officers raided the Queen Elizabeth Aponmun Reserved Camp on Wednesday, August 27th. The operation led to the arrest of two suspects, Elves Odogwu, 45, and David Jeremiah, 35. From them, officials recovered 117.5kg of processed cannabis and seeds.
In the bustling metropolis of Lagos, operatives targeted the Mushin area on Saturday, August 30th, arresting a suspect, Michael Ayodele, at his base. A total of 164 kilograms of skunk were recovered from the location.
Perhaps the most notable seizure in the South came from Ekiti State. In what is being described as the single largest bust of its kind in the state, NDLEA operatives, acting on credible intelligence, raided a location on Nova street, behind New Creation School in Ado-Ekiti on August 29th. The target was a 42-year-old drug kingpin, Ajayi Ayodeji Idowu, locally known as “Atiku.” From him, officers seized 5.3 kilograms of Loud and Colorado—two of the most potent and expensive strains of cannabis—along with 2.5 grams of Methamphetamine, a highly addictive synthetic stimulant.
A Coordinated National Response
This series of successful operations demonstrates the NDLEA’s evolving strategy, which relies heavily on intelligence-driven missions, inter-agency collaboration, and targeted strikes across the country’s drug supply chains. From the vast farms in Taraba to the hidden storerooms in Maiduguri and the urban dealers in Lagos and Ekiti, the agency is confronting the drug menace on all fronts.
The arrests of individuals across a wide age spectrum, from young men in their twenties to a 75-year-old grandfather, reveal the pervasive and indiscriminate nature of the illicit drug trade. The seizures of not just cannabis but also vast quantities of pharmaceutical opioids like tramadol and dangerous sedatives like Rohypnol indicate a shifting and poly-drug landscape that poses a severe threat to public health and national security.
As the NDLEA continues to dismantle these networks, the message is clear: the war on drugs is intensifying, and no region or individual is beyond the reach of the law.
Full credit to the original publisher: The Syndicate – https://thesyndicate.com.ng/ndlea-arrests-75-year-old-grandpa-destroys-178000kg-skunk/