Octogenarian, 75-Year-Old Arrested for Selling Narcotics to Teenage Schoolchildren

June 21 () — The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two elderly men, aged 84 and 75, for allegedly supplying illicit drugs to teenage secondary school students in Umuahia, Abia State, in what officials describe as a disturbing trend of drug dealers targeting minors.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the suspects, identified as Godfrey Orji, 84, and Godwin Obulunbiya Obiora, 75, are currently in NDLEA custody and are expected to face prosecution after investigations.

Obiora was arrested on Friday, June 19, following credible intelligence that he was selling illicit substances to students and other users through his patent medicine store located at No. 4 Club Road, Umuahia.

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

In a separate incident, Orji, an octogenarian pensioner, was apprehended by security guards at Saint Silas Secondary School, Old Umuahia, after he was allegedly caught supplying illicit drugs to two teenage students within the school community.

The school authorities handed him and the students over to the police, who subsequently transferred the matter to the NDLEA on June 18.

One of the students, a 15-year-old Senior Secondary School Two (SS2) pupil, told investigators that the 84-year-old suspect regularly supplied him with drugs, which he consumed and resold to fellow students.

While the two elderly suspects are expected to be arraigned in court, the affected students have been enrolled in counselling and rehabilitation programmes as part of efforts to address substance abuse among young people.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives intercepted a consignment of ADB Chminaca, a potent synthetic cannabinoid classified as a dangerous New Psychoactive Substance (NPS), at a courier company in Lagos.

The illicit shipment, which originated from China, weighed 9.5 kilograms and was concealed in a carton.

In another seizure on June 16, operatives discovered 300 grams of Loud, a highly potent strain of cannabis, hidden inside ladies’ handbags at a separate logistics company in Lagos.

The agency also intensified its operations against drug trafficking networks in Lagos with a raid on the residence of a wanted drug dealer, Lukman Badmus, popularly known as Lukman Ogombo, in the Ogombo area of Ajah on Friday, June 19. The operation yielded nine bottles of codeine syrup and 30 grams of skunk.

A follow-up operation at a shop operated by his wife, Aisha Saraki, in the Patey area of Lagos Island resulted in the recovery of two additional bottles of codeine and various drug paraphernalia.

NDLEA operatives further discovered 42 compressed blocks of skunk weighing 22.5 kilograms inside a minibus parked in front of the shop.

According to the agency, Saraki attempted to destroy some of the exhibits by flushing them down a toilet during the raid, but officers thwarted the effort and secured the evidence.

In Kogi State, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Okene-Lokoja highway intercepted Tochukwu Onah, 33, who was travelling from Lagos to Abuja with 1.03 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed inside custard containers.

The agency also announced the arrest of a couple, James Tony Chukwudi, 48, and James Kehinde, 35, who had been wanted in connection with the seizure of 117 kilograms of skunk in Ekiti State on March 26.

The suspects were eventually apprehended on June 16 at Oniyo Street, Efon-Alaaye, after several months on the run.

In Oyo State, NDLEA operatives raided a residence in the Dangote area of Elekara, Oyo Town, on June 20, leading to the arrest of Tudun Olubiyi, 75, alongside Nasiru Buhari, 22, and Buba Musa, 47.

Recovered during the operation were 118 jumbo bags containing 1,416 kilograms of skunk, concealed beneath sawdust.

Similarly, in Edo State, officers arrested Patrick Imoukhede, 45, during a raid on the Khagba Forest in Owan East Local Government Area. The operation led to the destruction of 1,744.075 kilograms of cannabis and the recovery of an additional 169 kilograms of processed skunk.

Another raid at Ebora Camp in Ilushi, Esan South-East Local Government Area, destroyed 2,424.945 kilograms of cannabis, while a separate operation led to the arrest of Augustine Anyamone, 45, with 395 kilograms of skunk.

Beyond enforcement activities, the NDLEA said it sustained its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign across schools, communities, workplaces, and religious centres.

Awareness programmes were conducted in institutions including Orun Community Grammar School in Ekiti State; Government Girls Secondary School, Charanchi, Kano State; Federal Technical College, Doma, Nasarawa State; Tafida Community Secondary School, Zango, Katsina State; and Government Technical College, Onitsha, Anambra State.

The Rivers State Command also paid an advocacy visit to the Paramount Ruler of Rumuogba Kingdom, HRH Barr. Temple Ejekwu, as part of efforts to strengthen community participation in the fight against drug abuse.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), commended officers and personnel of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI), as well as commands in Abia, Lagos, Kogi, Oyo, Ekiti, and Edo states, for the successful arrests and seizures.

Marwa noted that the agency’s drug supply reduction efforts were being effectively balanced with sustained public enlightenment campaigns under the WADA initiative.

He urged officers across the country to remain vigilant and continue intensifying efforts to curb illicit drug trafficking and abuse nationwide.