Grandfathers, 84, 75, Arrested for Alleged Drug Sales to Students In Abia

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two elderly men, aged 84 and 75, for allegedly supplying illicit drugs to secondary school students in Umuahia, Abia State.

The suspects, identified as Godfrey Orji, 84, and Godwin Obulunbiya Obiora, 75, were apprehended in separate intelligence-led operations conducted by operatives of the anti-narcotics agency.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, Obiora was arrested on June 19 after investigations revealed that he was allegedly selling prohibited substances to students and other users from his patent medicine store located on Club Road, Umuahia.

A search of the premises reportedly led to the recovery of 4.64 kilograms of opioids, including tramadol and diazepam.

Babafemi said the arrest followed credible intelligence received by the agency concerning the suspect’s activities.

In a separate incident, Orji, a pensioner, was arrested for allegedly supplying drugs to students of Saint Silas Secondary School, Old Umuahia.

The NDLEA spokesman disclosed that the suspect was caught by security personnel at the school while allegedly delivering illicit substances to two teenage students. He was subsequently handed over to the police before being transferred to the NDLEA for further investigation.

Preliminary investigations revealed that one of the students, a 15-year-old Senior Secondary School Two (SS2) pupil, confessed that Orji had been supplying him with drugs which he consumed and occasionally sold to other students.

The agency said both elderly suspects would be prosecuted in accordance with the law, while the affected students have been enrolled in counselling and rehabilitation programmes aimed at addressing substance abuse.

Meanwhile, the NDLEA recorded a series of major drug seizures and arrests across the country.

In Lagos State, operatives intercepted a 9.5-kilogram consignment of ADB-Chminaca, a highly potent synthetic cannabinoid, concealed in a carton shipped from China through a courier company.

The agency also seized 300 grams of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, hidden inside ladies’ handbags at a logistics company in Lagos.

In another operation, NDLEA officers raided the residence of a wanted drug dealer, Lukman Badmus, popularly known as “Lukman Ogombo,” in the Ogombo area of Ajah, Lagos, where narcotic substances, including codeine syrup and skunk, were recovered.

A follow-up raid at a shop linked to his wife on Lagos Island yielded additional quantities of codeine, drug paraphernalia and 22.5 kilograms of skunk concealed in a vehicle parked nearby.

Elsewhere, a 33-year-old suspect, Tochukwu Onah, was arrested along the Okene-Lokoja Highway in Kogi State with 1.03 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed inside custard containers while travelling from Lagos to Abuja.

The agency also confirmed the arrest of two suspects wanted in connection with the seizure of 117 kilograms of skunk in Ekiti State earlier this year.

In Oyo State, operatives recovered 1,416 kilograms of skunk concealed in 118 jumbo bags during a raid in Oyo Town and arrested three suspects, including a 75-year-old man.

Similarly, in Edo State, NDLEA officers destroyed large cannabis plantations and recovered substantial quantities of processed cannabis during operations in Owan East and Esan South Local Government Areas.

Commending officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, retired Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, praised commands in Abia, Lagos, Kogi, Ekiti, Oyo and Edo states for their commitment to combating drug trafficking and abuse.

He urged officers across the country to remain vigilant and sustain ongoing efforts to curb the menace of illicit drugs while strengthening public awareness through the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse campaign.