By Joe Udo
An 83-year-old grandfather, Pa John Ofiel and a 78-year-old grandpa, Ogunjobi Samuel were among suspects arrested in an ongoing nationwide crackdown on illicit drug traffickers and dealers by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
This was disclosed in a statement signed by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, on Sunday, 3rd May 2026.
Pa Ofiel was nabbed by NDLEA officers on Tuesday 28th April 2026 during a raid operation at Samek by Powerline, Aba, Abia state following credible intelligence that he was dealing in illicit substances. At the time of his arrest, 700 grammes of skunk, a strain of cannabis, packaged in retail sachets were recovered from him. The octogenarian claimed he was a professional shoemaker before delving into the illicit drug trade.
In a similar development, NDLEA operatives in Ekiti state on Thursday 30th April arrested a 78-year-old Ogunjobi Samuel at his H22 Owode Street, Ilupeju-Ekiti for drug peddling while 350 grammes of the same psychoactive substance were seized from him at the time of his arrest.
Two ladies: Rebecca King, 24, and Olaniyan Opeyemi, 31, were arrested by NDLEA operatives in Oyo state in connection with the seizure of 1.925kg of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis. While Rebecca was nabbed conveying the consignment along Lagos/Ibadan expressway on Wednesday 29th April, Opeyemi was arrested in a follow-up operation at Iwo road, Ibadan, when she attempted to take delivery of the cargo.
In another interdiction operation in Ibadan, a notorious drug dealer, 49-year-old Taofik Adeyemi was arrested on Saturday 2nd May along with his salesman Mustapha Oyerinde, 28, at his residence in Erunmu area of the state capital, after months of evading arrest. Two of his associates: Abiodun Abiola and Aderinde Ibrahim, had been arrested on 8th December 2025 and are currently being prosecuted at a Federal High Court in Ibadan. At the time of Taofik’s arrest, 3.085 kilogrammes of skunk and a Toyota Camry car marked EPE 299 JZ were recovered from him.
In Osun state, a 65-year-old driver Oladayo Awoyemi was arrested on Thursday 30th April, at Ile-Ife toll gate along Ibadan/Ilesha expressway while conveying a carton containing 7kg skunk and 15 grammes of methamphetamine in his vehicle with registration number LES 114 AG. A follow-up operation in Ilesha town led to the arrest of the actual owner of the consignment, Ifedayo Babalola, 40.
A 27-year-old suspect Yahaya Shehu was arrested on Wednesday 29th April by NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Damaturu-Maiduguri road, Borno state, following credible intelligence, leading to the seizure of 76,440 pills of Tramadol 225mg. In another operation in Borno, a truck driver, Magaji Isa, 30, was arrested following the interception of 14,000 capsules of Tramadol while a follow-up operation in Biu led to the arrest of the owner Abdulhamid Mahmud, 28.
While a total of 393 blocks of compressed blocks of skunk weighing 290 kilogrammes were recovered from two suspects: Ojo Major Ebose, 36, and Chika Obiechefula, 32, on Saturday 2nd May when their Honda Ridgeline vehicle marked KSF 65 EQ was intercepted by NDLEA officers on patrol along Abuja/Jos highway, Kaduna, no fewer than 49,800 capsules of Tramadol were seized from another set of two suspects: Ahmed Garba (a.k.a Fangale), 50, and Sale Mohammed, 41, along Bauchi road, Hadejia, Jigawa state on Friday 1st May.
In Lagos state, NDLEA officers on Saturday 2nd May raided Awolowo market, Mushin, where they recovered 740kg skunk, while an intelligence-led operation at Idogbo community, Benin city, Edo state on Thursday 30th April, led to the arrest of a suspect, Godstime Godspower, 25. Assorted illicit drugs seized from him include: 57 grammes of Loud; 3 grammes of Colorado; 8 grammes of Tramadol; 3 grammes of Swinol and 5 grammes of methamphetamine.
With the same zeal, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week. These include: WADA enlightenment lecture for students and staff of Day Secondary School, Edozhigi, Gbako LGA, Niger state; Khulafa’ul Rashidun Islamiyya, Rano, Kano; Community Secondary School, Akweze, Anambra; commercial motorcyclists and their passengers at Poka junction, Epe, Lagos and members of NAPPMED in Benin, Irrua and Auchi, Edo state, among others.
While commending the officers and men of Abia, Ekiti, Edo, Borno, Kaduna, Jigawa, Oyo, Osun and Lagos Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) noted their drug supply reduction efforts balanced with WADA sensitisation activities while he charged them and their compatriots across the country to continue to build on the current tempo.
