The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded major breakthroughs in its nationwide drug control operations, including the arrest of a 101-year-old woman for dealing in cannabis, the interception of cocaine concealed in edible cassava flour popularly known as fufu, and the seizure of Loud worth more than N4.4 billion at the Apapa and Lekki ports in Lagos.

The agency disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday by its Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.

In Ogun State, NDLEA operatives on August 15 arrested 101-year-old Esther Ogunmabo at Ilisan with 90 grams of skunk, a strain of cannabis, packaged in retail sachets.

The centenarian reportedly told investigators that she ventured into the illicit drug trade after her provisions shop was destroyed by fire. She added that one of her daughters, who lives in Lagos, supplied the cannabis to her every four days, which she sold in small quantities to customers.

Following the arrest, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), directed that the elderly suspect be granted bail and placed on counselling, while her daughter was arrested.

In Akwa Ibom State, operatives acting on intelligence on August 21 intercepted a wooden boat on the high seas allegedly transporting illicit drugs to fishing settlements in Cameroon.

Three suspects were arrested with a combined 42.622kg of narcotics.

One of them, 27-year-old Kingsley Effiong John, was found with 20 grams of cocaine cleverly concealed inside a large wrap of edible cassava fufu, alongside 435 grams of skunk.

The other suspects were identified as Etima Effiong Eekpo, 29, who had 1.120kg of skunk, and Otobong Eyoh Etukudoh, 33, who was found with 42.060kg of skunk.

In another major breakthrough, the agency intercepted two containers of cannabis indica, popularly known as Loud, shipped from Thailand through the maritime corridor.

The combined street value of the consignments was put at more than N4.4 billion.

According to the NDLEA, the seizures represented the agency’s first interception of illicit drugs shipped from Thailand through the maritime route, suggesting the emergence of a new trafficking corridor being exploited by drug syndicates.

At Apapa Port, a container declared to contain dry fish, rice, vehicle spare parts, turmeric soap and inverter batteries was jointly examined by NDLEA, Customs and other agencies on August 21.

The examination uncovered 1,090.5kg of Thai Loud packed in 54 cartons containing 2,181 sachets of 500 grams each.

At the Lekki Deep Sea Port, another container monitored by the NDLEA’s Marine Special Operations Unit was examined on August 19.

Four of the seven pallets inside the container contained 96 cartons of Thai Loud, comprising 400 parcels weighing 400kg. The remaining three pallets contained 798 rims of A4 paper, allegedly used to conceal the drug consignment.

In the Federal Capital Territory, operatives on August 22 intercepted three waybill packages containing 24,410 pills of tramadol capsules concealed inside a Hummer bus travelling from Enugu to Zuba.

A follow-up operation in Niger State led to the arrest of the alleged owner of the consignment, 28-year-old Sunday Eze, in Kontagora. He was subsequently transferred to Abuja.

In Ondo State, NDLEA operatives raided a cannabis farm in Ijare Forest, Ifedore Local Government Area, following the arrest of three suspected cannabis planters at the location.

The operation led to the destruction of 10,000kg of skunk cultivated across four hectares of forest.

In another operation at Ita-Ogbolu, Akure North Local Government Area, 210kg of skunk and a Toyota Camry were recovered. The vehicle’s alleged owner, Sylvester Dibiagu Anthony, is currently at large.

Similarly, operatives in Kwara State intercepted a Toyota Starlet along the Ogbomosho-Ilorin Expressway on August 21, recovering 1.325kg of methamphetamine and quantities of cannabis sativa. A 22-year-old suspect, Muhammadu Usman, was arrested.

In Oyo State, NDLEA operatives arrested 65-year-old Adebayo Kaosarat at Akobo-Ojuirin, Ibadan, with 4.68kg of assorted illicit substances comprising 1.795kg of Scottish Loud, 1.66kg of tramadol, 600 grams of codeine syrup, 125 grams of diazepam and 50 grams of flunitrazepam.

In Kano State, a raid along Hadeija Road led to the arrest of 31-year-old Chibuzor Madueke, with 98 blocks of skunk weighing 73.3kg.

At Seme, Lagos, three members of the Tijjani family—Nasiru Tijjani, 52, and his two relatives, Moshood Tijjani, 27, and Salami Tijjani, 27 were arrested at Ashipa near the Seme border with 48kg of skunk.

In Abia State, NDLEA officers raided the residence of 36-year-old Ikechukwu Anthony Iwuno at Umuobia Olokoro, Umuahia South LGA, recovering 14.4kg of Loud, 2.3kg of Colorado, 386 grams of tramadol and 134 grams of Rohypnol.

Beyond seizures and arrests, NDLEA Commands and formations across the country also intensified their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.

The agency conducted enlightenment programmes at educational institutions and youth gatherings in Kano, Oyo, Kebbi, Taraba and Edo states, while the Idiroko Special Area Command paid a WADA advocacy visit to the Chairman of Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun State, Hon. Johnson Avoseh.

Commending the officers and men of the affected commands, Marwa urged personnel across the country to sustain what he described as a balanced approach to drug control, combining enforcement with prevention, sensitisation and rehabilitation.

The NDLEA said the latest operations underscored its continued efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks, dismantle local supply chains and prevent illicit substances from entering communities through Nigeria’s land and maritime borders.