NDLEA arrests 75-year-old in Ebonyi, seizes huge drug shipments

A 75-year-old man, Okebe Samuel, is among several suspects arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in a series of nationwide operations targeting drug trafficking and distribution networks across Nigeria.

The arrest of the elderly suspect in Okposi community, Ebonyi State, formed part of coordinated anti-narcotics raids that also led to the interception of large quantities of opioids in Taraba State and multiple arrests in Edo, Imo and Kano states.

NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, confirmed the operations in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja.

In Ebonyi, operatives arrested Okebe Samuel, 75, after he was found in possession of 300 grammes of skunk, a strain of cannabis. The agency said the substance had been packaged in retail quantities and was allegedly intended for distribution within the community.

The arrest has drawn attention due to the suspect’s age, as he was reportedly involved in the packaging and distribution of illicit drugs despite being in his seventies.

Babafemi said the Ebonyi operation was part of wider intelligence-led raids aimed at dismantling local drug supply chains and reducing access to narcotics in rural and urban communities.

In a separate operation in Taraba State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a truck carrying building materials from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Jalingo. A search of the vehicle at Nukkai Timber Shade led to the discovery of a large quantity of opioids concealed beneath the cargo.

A 22-year-old suspect, Buhari Abdullahi, was arrested in connection with the seizure, which included over 320,000 capsules of tramadol, hundreds of ampoules of pentazocine injection, thousands of rohypnol tablets, and bottles of codeine-based syrup.

Elsewhere, the agency carried out raids in Imo, Edo and Kano states, arresting several suspects, including female drug dealers and a 19-year-old man found with 38 kilogrammes of skunk.

In Imo State, a 32-year-old woman, Chioma Okeke, was arrested in Orlu Local Government Area with eight kilogrammes of cannabis. In Edo State, four suspects were picked up in separate locations with various quantities of illicit substances, including methamphetamine and synthetic drugs.

In Kano, operatives arrested Saifullahi Lawan, 19, in Madobi Local Government Area with 40 blocks of skunk.

The NDLEA said the operations underscore its ongoing nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking and abuse, with a focus on disrupting supply chains at both major distribution routes and community-level networks.

Officials added that investigations are ongoing and all suspects will be prosecuted in accordance with the law.