THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 93-year-old man and a 69-year-old medical doctor in a series of coordinated, intelligence-led operations across multiple states.
A statement sent to News Point Nigeria by the agency’s Director, Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, revealed that the crackdown, which covered Lagos, Ogun, Abia, Edo, Niger, Imo, Borno, and the Federal Capital Territory, led to the seizure of large quantities of illicit drugs and the dismantling of key trafficking networks.
In Abia State, operatives arrested 93-year-old Pa Friday Ahukanna Chigbu at his residence in Osisioma Local Government Area, recovering 7.7 kilograms of skunk. In a startling admission, the suspect told investigators that “he had been smoking skunk since 1959, before turning it into a business over a year ago.”
Chigbu further explained that he ventured into the illicit trade after years of working as a truck pusher and later as a painter and tiler.
The agency also uncovered an international drug trafficking operation involving an Ivorian national, Gohouri Michael, who was intercepted at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport with 82 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.49 kilograms. Investigations revealed he was acting under instructions from a Nigeria-based accomplice, later identified as Dr Chudi Daniel Ofomata.
Dr Ofomata, a 69-year-old medical practitioner, was arrested in Ogun State, where NDLEA operatives recovered controlled substances, including promazepam and promethazine injections.
The agency described the arrest as a significant breakthrough in exposing the network behind the attempted drug export.
Babafemi said the operations were part of a broader strategy targeting both local and international drug syndicates.
According to him, the arrests followed “intelligence-led interdiction operations across the country,” aimed at dismantling trafficking chains and their collaborators.
Across other states, the agency recorded multiple arrests and seizures. In Niger State, a couple, Abdullahi Umar and Adama Umar, were found with 118 kilograms of skunk concealed in their home. In Ogun and Imo States, several suspects were arrested with significant quantities of the same substance.
In Borno State, NDLEA officers intercepted a trailer transporting spare parts and uncovered a large cache of illicit pharmaceuticals, including 42,290 tablets of Rohypnol and large volumes of codeine syrup and pentazocine injection.
The owner of the consignment was later apprehended in a follow-up operation.
Lagos operations also yielded notable results, with officers intercepting a commercial bus carrying 15 kilograms of “Scottish Loud,” as well as seizing 26,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup in a separate raid in Mushin.
In Edo State, operatives made one of the largest seizures, intercepting two trucks carrying a combined 7,245 kilograms of skunk concealed among cartons of beer, leading to the arrest of five suspects.
Commending the officers involved, NDLEA Chairman, Mohamed Buba Marwa, praised their commitment and effectiveness.
He noted that the agency remains focused on both enforcement and prevention, applauding “the arrests and seizures of the past week” while also recognising ongoing advocacy efforts across the country.
He further emphasised the need for a balanced approach, highlighting the importance of reducing both drug supply and demand through sustained public sensitisation under the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign.