The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 101-year-old woman, Esther Ogunmabo, for allegedly selling cannabis in Ilisan, Ogun State. The arrest took place on 15 August, with the agency recovering 90 grammes of skunk, a strain of cannabis, packaged in small sachets.
Arrest and Confession
According to a statement by the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, Ms Ogunmabo was taken into custody during an operation in Ilisan. During questioning, she reportedly told NDLEA operatives that she entered the drug trade after a fire destroyed her provisions shop. She explained that one of her daughters, who lives in Lagos, supplied her with cannabis every four days, which she then sold in small quantities to customers.
The NDLEA chairman, Buba Marwa, a retired brigadier general, directed that Ms Ogunmabo be granted bail and placed on counselling, taking into account her advanced age. Her daughter was also arrested over her alleged involvement in supplying the drug to her mother.
Recent Arrests of Elderly Nigerians
The case adds to a series of recent NDLEA arrests involving elderly Nigerians accused of dealing in illicit drugs. In June, the agency arrested two men aged 84 and 75 in Umuahia, Abia State, for allegedly supplying illicit substances to secondary school students.
One of the suspects, Godfrey Orji, 84, was arrested after security guards at Saint Silas Secondary School, Old Umuahia, reportedly caught him supplying drugs to two teenage students. The other suspect, 75-year-old Godwin Obiora, was arrested at his patent medicine shop on Club Road, Umuahia, following intelligence that he was selling illicit substances to young people. The NDLEA stated that 4.64kg of opioids, including tramadol and diazepam, were recovered from Mr Obiora’s shop.
Further Arrests and Recoveries
A 15-year-old student allegedly told investigators that Mr Orji supplied him with drugs, which he used and also sold to other students. The two students were subsequently placed on counselling and rehabilitation, according to the agency.
In a separate operation, the NDLEA announced the arrest of a 65-year-old woman, Adebayo Kaosarat, in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Friday. She was arrested at Akobo-Ojuirin with 1.795kg of Scottish Loud, 1.66kg of tramadol, 600 grammes of codeine syrup, 125 grammes of diazepam and 50 grammes of flunitrazepam.
Mr Marwa commended NDLEA officers involved in the recent operations and urged personnel across the country to sustain the agency’s efforts against illicit drug trafficking.
