May 03, (THEWILL) — Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intensified their nationwide offensive against illicit drug trafficking and abuse, arresting several suspects across multiple states, including two elderly men aged 83 and 78, while also apprehending a notorious drug dealer in Ibadan after months of evading arrest.
A statement signed on Sunday by NDLEA Spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, stated that the coordinated operations, carried out in Abia, Ekiti, Oyo, Osun, Borno, Kaduna, Jigawa, Lagos and Edo States, led to the seizure of large quantities of cannabis, Tramadol, methamphetamine and other illicit substances as the agency sustained its clampdown on drug trafficking networks nationwide.
According to the NDLEA, 83-year-old Pa John Ofiel was arrested on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, during a raid operation at Samek by Powerline area of Aba, Abia State, following credible intelligence linking him to illicit drug sales. Recovered from the octogenarian were 700 grams of skunk, a strain of cannabis, packaged in retail sachets. During interrogation, Pa Ofiel reportedly disclosed that he was a professional shoemaker before venturing into drug trafficking.
In a similar operation in Ekiti State, NDLEA operatives arrested 78-year-old Ogunjobi Samuel on Thursday, April 30, at his residence located at H22 Owode Street, Ilupeju-Ekiti. Officials said 350 grams of skunk were recovered from the suspect during the operation.
The agency also recorded major breakthroughs in Oyo State, where two women, Rebecca King, 24, and Olaniyan Opeyemi, 31, were arrested in connection with the seizure of 1.925 kilograms of Colorado, a potent synthetic cannabis strain.
Rebecca was apprehended while transporting the consignment along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Wednesday, April 29, while Opeyemi was later arrested during a follow-up operation at Iwo Road, Ibadan, when she allegedly arrived to receive the illicit cargo.
In another major interdiction operation in Ibadan, NDLEA operatives arrested a notorious drug dealer, Taofik Adeyemi, 49, alongside his salesman, Mustapha Oyerinde, 28, at his residence in the Erunmu area of the Oyo State capital on Saturday, May 2.
The agency disclosed that Adeyemi had evaded arrest for several months before his eventual capture. Two of his alleged associates, Abiodun Abiola and Aderinde Ibrahim, had earlier been arrested on December 8, 2025, and are currently facing prosecution before the Federal High Court in Ibadan. Recovered during the operation were 3.085 kilograms of skunk and a Toyota Camry vehicle with registration number EPE 299 JZ.
In Osun State, a 65-year-old driver, Oladayo Awoyemi, was arrested on Thursday, April 30, at the Ile-Ife toll gate along the Ibadan-Ilesha Expressway while transporting a carton containing 7 kilograms of skunk and 15 grams of methamphetamine in a vehicle marked LES 114 AG.
A follow-up operation in Ilesha subsequently led to the arrest of the alleged owner of the consignment, identified as 40-year-old Ifedayo Babalola.
The NDLEA also intensified operations in the North-East, where a 27-year-old suspect, Yahaya Shehu, was arrested along the Damaturu-Maiduguri road in Borno State following actionable intelligence. The operation led to the recovery of 76,440 pills of Tramadol 225mg.
In another operation in the state, truck driver Magaji Isa, 30, was apprehended after NDLEA operatives intercepted 14,000 capsules of Tramadol concealed in his vehicle, while a follow-up raid in Biu led to the arrest of the alleged owner of the consignment, Abdulhamid Mahmud, 28.
Along the Abuja-Jos highway in Kaduna State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a Honda Ridgeline vehicle marked KSF 65 EQ conveying 393 compressed blocks of skunk weighing 290 kilograms. Two suspects, Ojo Major Ebose, 36, and Chika Obiechefula, 32, were arrested in connection with the seizure on Saturday, May 2.
Similarly, in Jigawa State, NDLEA officers recovered 49,800 capsules of Tramadol from two suspects identified as Ahmed Garba, also known as Fangale, 50, and Sale Mohammed, 41, during an operation along Bauchi Road in Hadejia on Friday, May 1.
In Lagos State, operatives raided Awolowo Market in Mushin on Saturday, May 2, where they recovered 740 kilograms of skunk in one of the agency’s major seizures during the week under review.
Meanwhile, an intelligence-led operation at Idogbo community in Benin City, Edo State, led to the arrest of 25-year-old Godstime Godspower on Thursday, April 30. Recovered from the suspect were assorted illicit substances, including 57 grams of Loud, 3 grams of Colorado, 8 grams of Tramadol, 3 grams of Swinol and 5 grams of methamphetamine.
Beyond enforcement operations, NDLEA Commands and formations across the country also sustained the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign through awareness lectures and advocacy engagements in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.
Some of the activities conducted during the week included sensitisation lectures for students and staff of Day Secondary School, Edozhigi, Gbako Local Government Area of Niger State; Khulafa’ul Rashidun Islamiyya, Rano, Kano State; Community Secondary School, Akweze, Anambra State; commercial motorcyclists and passengers at Poka Junction, Epe, Lagos State; as well as members of the National Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers (NAPPMED) in Benin, Irrua and Auchi, Edo State.
Commending officers and men of the Abia, Ekiti, Edo, Borno, Kaduna, Jigawa, Oyo, Osun and Lagos Commands for the successful arrests and seizures, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the commands for balancing drug supply reduction operations with sustained WADA sensitisation efforts. He urged operatives across the country to sustain the current momentum in the fight against drug abuse and illicit trafficking nationwide.
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