A 101-year-old woman, Esther Ogunmabo, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for allegedly selling cannabis in Ilisan, Ogun State.
Ogunmabo was arrested on August 15 after NDLEA operatives reportedly found her with 90 grammes of skunk packaged in small sachets for sale.
During interrogation, the centenarian allegedly told investigators that she turned to cannabis sales after her provisions shop was destroyed by fire.
She reportedly claimed that her daughter, who is based in Lagos, supplied her with the substance every four days.
Following the development, NDLEA operatives also arrested the daughter in connection with the alleged supply of cannabis.
However, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), directed that the 101-year-old suspect be granted bail and referred for counselling because of her advanced age.
The arrest was among a series of drug-related operations conducted by the agency across the country, which resulted in the recovery of large quantities of cannabis, cocaine, tramadol, methamphetamine and other controlled substances.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives seized a combined 1,490.5kg of suspected Thai Loud from containers at the Apapa and Lekki Deep Sea ports.
The agency said 1,090.5kg was allegedly concealed among dry fish, rice, vehicle spare parts, turmeric soap and inverter batteries at Apapa Port, while another 400kg was found among pallets of A4 paper at the Lekki port.
In Akwa Ibom, operatives intercepted a wooden boat allegedly carrying illicit drugs towards fishing settlements in Cameroon and arrested three suspects. Among the recovered substances was cocaine allegedly concealed inside cassava fufu.
The NDLEA also intercepted 24,410 tramadol capsules in the Federal Capital Territory and destroyed 10,000kg of cannabis cultivated on four hectares of farmland in Ondo State.
Other arrests and seizures were recorded in several states, including Kwara, Oyo, Kano, Lagos and Abia.
Marwa commended the agency’s personnel for the operations and directed them to sustain efforts against drug trafficking while intensifying campaigns aimed at preventing drug abuse.
