NDLEA drug arrests Nigeria crackdown sees elderly suspects and others detained in nationwide raids across Abia, Ekiti, Oyo, and more states

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested two elderly men, including an 83-year-old identified as Pa John Ofiel and a 78-year-old Ogunjobi Samuel, in separate operations linked to drug trafficking across Abia and Ekiti States.

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The NDLEA drug arrests Nigeria crackdown was confirmed on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, who said the operations were based on credible intelligence and formed part of a wider nationwide enforcement drive.

According to the statement, Pa John Ofiel was arrested during a raid in Aba, Abia State, where officers recovered 700 grams of skunk, a strain of cannabis packaged for retail distribution.

The suspect reportedly told investigators he was formerly a shoemaker before entering the illicit drug trade.

In a separate operation in Ekiti State, Ogunjobi Samuel was apprehended at his residence in Ilupeju-Ekiti, with 350 grams of suspected cannabis seized during the arrest.

The agency also reported multiple arrests across other states, including Oyo, where two women, Rebecca King, 24, and Olaniyan Opeyemi, 31, were detained over 1.925kg of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis variant.

Another suspect, Taofik Adeyemi, 49, was arrested in Ibadan alongside his associate during a raid that uncovered 3.085kg of skunk and a Toyota Camry.

In Osun State, a 65-year-old driver, Oladayo Awoyemi, was intercepted while allegedly transporting 7kg of skunk and methamphetamine along the Ibadan-Ilesa Expressway. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the alleged owner, Ifedayo Babalola, 40.

Further arrests were made in Borno, Jigawa, Kaduna, Lagos, and Edo States, where operatives seized large quantities of tramadol, cannabis, and other psychoactive substances, including 740kg of skunk recovered from Mushin market in Lagos.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Brigadier General Mohamed Marwa (retd.), commended officers for their sustained enforcement efforts and urged them to maintain operational momentum.

The NDLEA drug arrests Nigeria crackdown highlights the agency’s intensified nationwide campaign against drug trafficking and abuse, which continues to target both large-scale distributors and street-level dealers across the country.

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Officials say sensitisation campaigns are also ongoing in schools, worship centres, and transport hubs as part of broader prevention efforts aimed at curbing substance abuse.