January 11, (THEWILL) — Barely three years after completing a two-year jail term for drug trafficking, an 80-year-old ex-convict, Jeremiah Isaiah Nkanta, has been re-arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for allegedly returning to the illicit drug trade.
Nkanta, described by the agency as a notorious drug dealer, was first arrested on December 14, 2022, prosecuted and convicted by a Federal High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. However, investigations revealed that the octogenarian resumed drug trafficking shortly after regaining freedom.
The anti-drug agency, in a statement signed on Sunday by its Spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said its operatives, acting on credible intelligence, on Saturday, January 10, 2025, tracked Nkanta to his residence in Mmanta–Abak village, Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, where he was arrested with 5.7 kilogrammes of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis, concealed in his home.
In another major breakthrough in Akwa Ibom State, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Oron–Ibaka Road in Oron Local Government Area intercepted a 37-year-old businessman, Ani Onyebuchi Romans, on Friday, January 9. Romans, who claimed to be travelling back to Cameroon, where he resides, was found transporting illicit drugs cleverly concealed inside full-body mannequins.
A thorough search of the mannequins revealed 5.3 kilograms of tramadol pills stuffed inside them. The suspect reportedly admitted that he purchased the drugs in Onitsha, Anambra State, and intended to traffic them to Cameroon for sale, using the mannequins meant for his clothing business as cover.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Oyo State recorded significant successes following raids across different parts of Ibadan. Among those arrested was 45-year-old Remi Bamidele, popularly known as “Aluko the Mafia,” who was nabbed at Sasa with 10.696 kilograms of Colorado, Scottish Loud, Ghana Loud, Canadian Loud and skunk. Two vehicles—a Toyota Venza and a Toyota Yaris with registration number HG 06 LYD—were recovered from him.
Further arrests in Ibadan led to the apprehension of Adeola Toheeb, 27, at the Adegbayi area with assorted quantities of cannabis, while Habeeb Ali, 29, was arrested at Ring Road with 1.264 kilogrammes of illicit drugs. NDLEA also recovered ₦1,307,100 in cash from Ali at the time of his arrest.
In Edo State, a dispatch rider, Osagbovo Edigin, 30, alongside two other suspects—Ebimi Labo, 28, and Akhimie Success, 25—were arrested at Ihama/Airport Road GRA, Benin City, over the seizure of 118 grammes of Canadian Loud and a wrap of Colorado. Similarly, Jimoh Agbonmhegbe, 49, was arrested in Irrua with 17.552 kilograms of assorted cannabis, while Evelyn Okoyomon, 38, was nabbed in Ubiaja with 930 grams of skunk.
The crackdown extended to Niger, Taraba and Adamawa states. In Niger State, NDLEA operatives recovered 4,000 pills of tramadol (225mg) from a 22-year-old suspect, Nazifi Umar, at Dakwa town in Tafa Local Government Area. In Taraba State, Yusuf Usman, 41, was arrested at Lankaviri, Yorro Local Government Area, with 100 blocks of skunk weighing 47 kilograms.
In Adamawa State, no fewer than 30,950 capsules of tramadol were recovered from the residence of a 40-year-old suspect, Ugwoke Chibueze, in Bachure area of Yola South Local Government Area, following his arrest at the Lamido Aliyu Mustapha International Airport, Yola.
Beyond enforcement operations, the NDLEA said its commands nationwide sustained advocacy under the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, conducting sensitisation programmes in schools, worship centres, workplaces, and communities across Jigawa, Kano, Ebonyi, and other states.
Commending the officers and men of the Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, Taraba, Edo, Oyo and Niger commands, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised their dedication, noting that the agency’s balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction remains critical to winning the fight against drug abuse and trafficking in Nigeria.
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