A 93-year-old great-grandfather and a 69-year-old medical doctor have been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) during a nationwide crackdown on international drug cartels and their local collaborators.

The nonagenarian, Friday Ahukanna Chigbu, was apprehended at his home in Osisioma, Abia State, on Tuesday, 7 April, following the discovery of 7.7 kilograms of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis.

According to the NDLEA, “The suspect claimed he had worked as a truck pusher and a painter before entering the illicit drug trade over a year ago.

“He also admitted to smoking skunk since 1959, before turning it into a business.”

Director Media and Advocacy of the Agency, Femi Babafemi, made this known in a statement over the weekend in Abuja.
In a separate intelligence-led operation, the agency intercepted an Ivorian national, Gohouri Michael, 41, at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport with 82 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.49kg.

The suspect, who was said to be bound for Milan, Italy, told investigators that he expected to be paid about 5,000 euros (£4,150) upon delivery.

Further investigations linked Michael to a senior medical professional, Dr Chudi Daniel Ofomata, 69, who was subsequently tracked to his residence in Ogun State and arrested on 27 March.

He was flown to Kano for questioning on Tuesday, where operatives recovered quantities of promazepam and promethazine injections from his home.

Babafemi stated that the agency’s week-long offensive resulted in several other significant seizures across the country including Niger State where a married couple, Abdullahi Umar, 32, and Adama Umar, 25, were arrested after 118kg of skunk was found hidden in their kitchen.

In Edo State, two lorries carrying cartons of beer were intercepted along the Warrake road. Beneath the beer crates, operatives discovered a staggering 7,245kg of processed skunk. Five suspects were detained.

NDLEA officers intercepted a trailer carrying vehicle spare parts, in Borno state discovering 42,290 Rohypnol tablets and over 90,000ml of codeine syrup and other injections.

Raids on the notorious “Tora Bora” drug joint in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), led to eight arrests, while a luxury bus was intercepted on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway with 15kg of Scottish Loud cannabis concealed in its compartments.

In total, the NDLEA has recovered thousands of kilograms of illicit substances and tens of thousands of pharmaceutical opioids in what officials describe as a “balanced offensive” against both drug supply and demand.
The Chairman and Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers for their resilience.

He said “The agency remains committed to ensuring a fair balance between drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.”

He praised the various commands for the successful interdiction operations.

Alongside the arrests, the agency continued its “War Against Drug Abuse” (WADA) social advocacy campaign, holding sensitisation lectures for students, drivers, and community groups in Lagos, Kano, and Kogi states.