A convicted 83-year-old grandma, Mrs Uloma Uchechi Sunday, has, again, been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
This was as the anti-narcotic agency seized large consignments of illicit drugs in Lagos, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Cross River, Ondo sweeps, and recovered assorted rifles, ammunition in Plateau State.
How convicted 83-year-old grandma was re-arrested
At an age when most grandmothers are seeking rest from life struggles, the re-arrested 83-year-old grandma was allegedly caught with some quantities of Methamphetamine and Colorado concealed around her waist with a wrapper.
The octogenarian was arrested on Wednesday, 7 October, 2026 at her home in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, Obingwa LGA, Abia State, barely a year after she was first nabbed, prosecuted and convicted for the same offence.
Her re-arrest followed credible intelligence indicating that she was running a notorious drug joint that harbours criminal elements who terrorise the community.
The first encounter of the unrepentant grandma with the law was on 17 May, 2025 when she was arrested by NDLEA operatives at her residence in the same village alongside her daughter, Chisom Uchechi (32).
The duo was then caught with 50 grams of methamphetamine, 522 grams of skunk, 260 grams of fresh cannabis leaves and 12 grams of tramadol.
Both pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 12-month imprisonment or a fine of ₦200,000 each. They paid the fine and were released by the court.
“Undeterred, the notorious old woman promptly returned to the criminal trade and escalated the scale by setting up a drug joint where she harbours dangerous characters,” NDLEA stated in a release, on Sunday.
A South African lady, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, was arrested by NDLEA operatives, in a synergy with the Customs Service, at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Rivers State, NDLEA operatives.
The female South African was allegedly caught with 30 parcels of Thai Loud, a specie of cannabis, weighing 32.74 kilograms, concealed in two travelling bags.
NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, stated in the release that the suspect had travelled from Thailand via Doha aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1431.
“She confessed to having previously trafficked through other African countries, and was expanding her route to Port Harcourt when she was caught,” he added.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives at the Import Shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos have intercepted a consignment of nine cartons from Pakistan aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight.
The cargo was placed under watch on arrival on 29th September. A joint examination of the shipment Tuesday, last week, uncovered 354,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg weighing 307.20kg.
In another interdiction at the Lagos airport, a consolidated cargo from the United Kingdom was monitored after arriving on 29th September.
Six Ghana-Must-Go bags were found to contain 70 parcels of Colorado, a synthetic cannabinoid weighing 75.90kg.
NDLEA stated that a clearing agent, John Edrah (54), was the first suspect to be arrested on 30 September.
Thereafter, Taofiq Ajibola (54), an Uber driver, was arrested while collecting one of the bags at a logistics company in Mafoluku area of Oshodi, followed by Adetunji Adebayo and Kazeem Damola Dosunmu (48), a clothing trader, who came for the remaining five.
Ajibola said the drugs were sent by a UK-based associate, Lukman Sa’idu, while Dosunmu said his own consignments came from another UK-based man identified as Yusuf.
A surveillance raid on Iyala Nkun village, Ikom LGA, Cross River State by NDLEA officers, on Sunday 4 October, led to the arrest of Adama Inuwa, 46, with 181 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 1,100kg and 17.15kg of cannabis seeds.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a black Toyota Camry at Otuo, Owan East LGA, last Monday, conveying 1,049 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 702.83kg.
Monday Orji (52), Monday Lawal (40), and Precious Uduegele (20), were arrested in connection with the seizure.
In another raid, Ojugo Mercy (26) was arrested at Asoro, off Sakponba Road, Benin City, with 989 grams of Loud, 13 grams of Colorado and 83 grams of methamphetamine.
A 21-year-old suspect, Happy Endurance was trailed to her hideout in Shasha area of Akure, Ondo State where 29 bags of cannabis weighing 290kg were recovered by NDLEA operatives last Monday.
Same day, a raid on an apartment at Oba-Ile, Akure led to the arrest of Tunde Adebayo (42) who was allegedly caught with 35 bags of same psychoactive substance weighing 351kg.
In Taraba State, NDLEA operatives, supported by soldiers, last Friday, arrested Abdulrasheed Mohamed (31), and Abubakar Saidu (37) at Chanchanji Village, Wukari LGA, with 166,200 tablets of Tramadol 225mg weighing 107kg.
A stop-and-search operation by NDLEA officers along the Kano-Maiduguri Road, Kano State, same day, led to the arrest of Yahaya Musa (32) with 24,990 capsules of Tramadol, 50,000 tablets of Diazepam and 22,000 tablets of Exol-5.
In Kaduna State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Zaria-Kaduna Expressway arrested Mohammed Musa (29) with 31 jumbo bags of skunk and 775 blocks of the same substance with a combined weight of 1,027kg.
In Orile, Lagos State, a suspect, Musbau Balogun Adekunle, was arrested last Tuesday with 32.51kg of skunk and 52.65kg of its seeds, totalling 85.16kg.
Assorted rifles and ammunition were recovered along with illicit drug by NDLEA operatives who raided the residence of a 45-year-old Christian Chukwudi Uju at Rukuba Road, Jos, Plateau State, last Thursday.
Seized from him were 47grams of methamphetamine, two pump action rifles, one locally made gun, 199 live cartridges, five rounds of 7.62mm and one round of 9mm ammunition.
Commands and formations of the agency across the country have continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities with the same vigour.
This was as they took the sensitisation activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities, among others in the past week.
Places visited included WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Progressive Grammar School, Tede, Oyo State; Ehugbo Technical College, Afikpo, Ebonyi; Baptist High School, Lambata, Niger State;
Madarasatul Tarbiyatul Islamiya, Galangalan Tudun Wada, Kano; Ipara Senior and Junior Community Secondary School, Badagry, Lagos; and Manbahu Ridwanullah Nursery and Primary School, Olomore Abeokuta, Ogun State, among others.
NDLEA Chairman/CEO, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), has commended the officers and men of Lagos, MMIA, PHIA, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Cross River, Ondo and Plateau commands for their professionalism.
Commending their intelligence-driven approach to the various successful operations, he enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the current balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the agency.
