…Agency intercepts 354,000 Tapentadol tablets, 75.9kg Colorado at Lagos Airport; recovers 1,100kg cannabis in Cross River, rifles in Jos_
An 83-year-old grandmother, Mrs. Uloma Uchechi Sunday, has been arrested again by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, with consignments of Methamphetamine and Colorado, popularly known as Colos, tied around her waist, barely a year after she was convicted for the same offence.
NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, who disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, October 11, 2026, said the octogenarian was arrested on Wednesday, October 7, at her home in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, Obingwa Local Government Area, Abia State, following credible intelligence that she runs a notorious drug joint that harbours criminal elements terrorising the community.
According to Babafemi, this is the second time the grandma is having an encounter with the Agency. She was first arrested on May 17, 2025 at the same residence alongside her daughter, Chisom Uchechi, 32, with 50 grams of methamphetamine, 522 grams of skunk, 260 grams of fresh cannabis leaves and 12 grams of tramadol. Both pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 12 months imprisonment or a fine of N200,000 each, which they paid and were released.
“Undeterred, the notorious old woman promptly returned to the criminal trade and escalated the scale by setting up a drug joint where she harbours dangerous characters,” Babafemi said.
In a related development at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Rivers State, NDLEA operatives working with Customs Service arrested a South African lady, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, with 30 parcels of Thai Loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 32.74 kilograms, concealed in two travelling bags.
The suspect had travelled from Thailand via Doha aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1431. She confessed to having previously trafficked through other African countries and was expanding her route to Port Harcourt when she was caught.
*Lagos Airport Interceptions*
At the Import Shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA intercepted nine cartons from Pakistan aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight that arrived on September 29. Joint examination on Tuesday, October 6, uncovered 354,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg weighing 307.20kg.
In another operation, a consolidated cargo from the United Kingdom was monitored after arriving on September 29. Six Ghana-Must-Go bags were found to contain 70 parcels of Colorado weighing 75.90kg.
A clearing agent, John Edrah, 54, was first arrested on September 30. Thereafter, Taofiq Ajibola, 54, an Uber driver, was arrested while collecting one of the bags at a logistics company in Mafoluku, Oshodi, followed by Adetunji Adebayo and Kazeem Damola Dosunmu, 48, a clothing trader who came for the remaining five bags. Ajibola said the drugs were sent by a UK-based associate, Lukman Sa’idu, while Dosunmu said his own consignment came from another UK-based man identified as Yusuf.
*Nationwide Raids*
In Cross River, NDLEA officers raided Iyala Nkun village, Ikom LGA, on Sunday, October 4, arresting Adama Inuwa, 46, with 181 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 1,100kg and 17.15kg of cannabis seeds.
In Edo State, operatives intercepted a black Toyota Camry at Otuo, Owan East LGA, on Monday, October 5, conveying 1,049 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 702.83kg. Three suspects – Monday Orji, 52, Monday Lawal, 40, and Precious Uduegele, 20, were arrested. In another raid at Asoro, off Sakponba Road, Benin City, Ojugo Mercy, 26, was arrested with 989 grams of Loud, 13 grams of Colorado and 83 grams of methamphetamine.
In Ondo, a 21-year-old suspect, Happy Endurance, was trailed to her hideout in Shasha area of Akure where 29 bags of cannabis weighing 290kg were recovered on October 5. Same day, a raid on an apartment at Oba-Ile, Akure, led to the arrest of Tunde Adebayo, 42, with 35 bags of the substance weighing 351kg.
In Taraba, operatives supported by soldiers arrested Abdulrasheed Mohamed, 31, and Abubakar Saidu, 37, at Chanchanji village, Wukari LGA, on Friday, October 9, with 166,200 tablets of Tramadol 225mg weighing 107kg. In Kano, Yahaya Musa, 32, was arrested along Kano-Maiduguri road with 24,990 capsules of Tramadol, 50,000 tablets of Diazepam and 22,000 tablets of Exol-5.
In Kaduna, operatives on patrol along Zaria-Kaduna expressway arrested Mohammed Musa, 29, with 31 jumbo bags of skunk and 775 blocks weighing 1,027kg. In Orile, Lagos, Musbau Balogun Adekunle was arrested on October 6 with 32.51kg of skunk and 52.65kg of seeds, totalling 85.16kg.
In Plateau, operatives raided the residence of 45-year-old Christian Chukwudi Uju at Rukuba Road, Jos, on October 8, recovering 47 grams of methamphetamine, two pump action rifles, one locally made gun, 199 live cartridges, five rounds of 7.62mm and one round of 9mm ammunition.
Meanwhile, NDLEA Commands continued War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization in schools and communities across the country.
Commending the officers, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), enjoined them to sustain the balanced approach to drug control efforts.
*Source: NDLEA Media & Advocacy*
