Two elderly men aged 83 and 78 have been caught in a sweeping nationwide anti-drug operation by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), in what authorities described as one of the most far-reaching crackdowns on illicit substances in recent months.
The octogenarians, Pa John Ofiel and Ogunjobi Samuel, were arrested in Abia and Ekiti states respectively, an unusual development that has left many residents stunned.
A statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said Ofiel, 83, was arrested in Aba after operatives raided his residence and recovered 700 grams of skunk, a strain of cannabis, already packaged for retail. He reportedly told investigators he had previously worked as a shoemaker before venturing into the illicit trade.
Barely 48 hours later, NDLEA officers in Ekiti arrested 78-year-old Samuel at his home in Ilupeju-Ekiti, where 350 grams of the same substance were recovered.
Beyond the startling arrests of the elderly men, the operations revealed a much larger enforcement driven by staggering figures and coordinated intelligence-led raids across the country.
In simultaneous operations spanning Abia, Ekiti, Oyo, Osun, Lagos, Edo, Kaduna, Jigawa, and Borno states, NDLEA operatives recorded significant seizures, including:
Over 1,038 kilograms of skunk (cannabis); more than 140,000 Tramadol pills and capsules 1.925 kilograms of Colorado, a potent synthetic cannabis and multiple arrests involving couriers, drivers, and suspected drug kingpins
The largest single seizure occurred at Awolowo Market in Mushin, Lagos, where operatives recovered a staggering 740 kilograms of skunk, exposing the scale of drug distribution networks operating within major commercial hubs.
In Kaduna state, another 290 kilograms of compressed cannabis was intercepted along the Abuja–Jos highway. Similarly, in Borno and Jigawa states, tens of thousands of Tramadol pills were seized in separate operations, further underlining the widespread nature of the trade.
Two women identified as Rebecca King, 24, and Olaniyan Opeyemi, 31, were also arrested in connection with the seizure of 1.925 kilograms of Colorado, pointing to the active role of courier networks in the distribution chain.