The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intensified its nationwide crackdown on illicit drug trafficking, arrested multiple suspects including two elderly men aged 83 and 78 during coordinated operations across several states.
Confirming the arrests, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the operations were based on credible intelligence and reflected the agency’s sustained offensive against drug networks. He noted that significant quantities of illicit substances were recovered in raids spanning Abia, Ekiti, Oyo, Osun, Borno, Kaduna, Jigawa, Lagos, and Edo states.
Among those arrested were Pa John Ofiel, 83, and Ogunjobi Samuel, 78, apprehended in Abia and Ekiti states respectively. Ofiel was nabbed on April 28 at Samek area by Powerline in Aba, where 700 grams of skunk were recovered from him. He reportedly claimed he was formerly a shoemaker before venturing into the drug trade. Ogunjobi, on the other hand, was arrested on April 30 at his residence in Ilupeju-Ekiti, with 350 grams of the same substance seized.
In Oyo State, operatives arrested two women, Rebecca King, 24, and Olaniyan Opeyemi, 31, over 1.925 kilograms of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis. King was intercepted along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, while Opeyemi was apprehended in a follow-up operation in Ibadan.
Also in Ibadan, a suspected notorious drug dealer, Taofik Adeyemi, 49, was arrested on May 2 alongside his associate, Mustapha Oyerinde, 28, after months of evading law enforcement. Recovered from him were 3.085 kilograms of skunk and a Toyota Camry vehicle. Two of his accomplices arrested earlier in December 2025 are currently facing prosecution at a Federal High Court in Ibadan.
In Osun State, a 65-year-old driver, Oladayo Awoyemi, was arrested at the Ile-Ife toll gate while conveying 7 kilograms of skunk and 15 grams of methamphetamine. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the owner of the consignment, Ifedayo Babalola, 40, in Ilesha.
Operations in Borno State led to the arrest of 27-year-old Yahaya Shehu with 76,440 pills of Tramadol along the Damaturu-Maiduguri road. Similarly, a truck driver, Magaji Isa, 30, was intercepted with 14,000 capsules of the same substance, while the owner, Abdulhamid Mahmud, 28, was later arrested in Biu.
In Kaduna State, NDLEA officers intercepted a vehicle along the Abuja-Jos highway, recovering 290 kilograms of compressed skunk from two suspects, Ojo Major Ebose, 36, and Chika Obiechefula, 32. In Jigawa State, 49,800 capsules of Tramadol were seized from Ahmed Garba, also known as Fangale, and Sale Mohammed along Bauchi Road in Hadejia.
In Lagos, operatives raided Awolowo Market in Mushin, recovering 740 kilograms of skunk. Meanwhile, in Edo State, a suspect, Godstime Godspower, 25, was arrested in Benin City with assorted illicit drugs, including Loud, Colorado, Tramadol, Swinol, and methamphetamine.
Beyond enforcement, NDLEA sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization campaigns nationwide, targeting schools, religious centres, workplaces, and communities.
Commending officers across the affected states, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), urged continued momentum in balancing enforcement with preventive education, reiterating the agency’s commitment to curbing drug abuse and trafficking across Nigeria.
