In a normal societal setting, an 83-year-old grandmother would be enjoying a quiet retirement life; alas, the reverse is the case for Mrs. Uloma Uchechi Sunday, an octogenarian who has been re-arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) with fresh consignments of Methamphetamine and “Colorado” (synthetic cannabis) concealed around her waist—barely a year after her previous arrest, prosecution, and conviction for the exact same offense.
In an official statement released on Sunday, October 11, 2026, the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, confirmed that the octogenarian was cornered on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at her residence in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, within the Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State. Operatives caught her with illicit substances tied to her body beneath a wrapper. Her swift re-arrest followed actionable intelligence proving that she runs a notorious drug den that anchors criminal elements terrorising the local community.
Uloma’s initial encounter with anti-narcotics agents occurred on May 17, 2025, when she was arrested alongside her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi. That raid uncovered 50 grams of methamphetamine, 522 grams of skunk, 260 grams of fresh cannabis leaves, and 12 grams of tramadol. Though both pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment or an alternative ₦200,000 fine each, they promptly paid the fine to regain their freedom.
Undeterred by the judicial penalty, the notorious octogenarian immediately returned to the illicit trade, escalating her criminal network by converting her home into a high-risk drug hub for dangerous characters.
Meanwhile, international trafficking routes suffered massive disruptions at the nation’s air gateways. At the Port Harcourt International Airport in Omagwa, Rivers State, NDLEA operatives—working in close synergy with the Nigeria Customs Service—intercepted a South African national, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie. She was caught smuggling 30 parcels of “Thai Loud” (a potent cannabis strain) weighing 32.74 kilograms, meticulously concealed inside two traveling bags.
The foreign suspect had journeyed from Thailand via Doha aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1431. During interrogation, she confessed to having successfully trafficked narcotics through other African nations, admitting she was aggressively expanding her smuggling network to Port Harcourt when operatives ended her run.
Simultaneously, tactical operations at the Import Shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos, led to the interception of a multi-million-naira pharmaceutical cargo arriving from Pakistan aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight. The cargo had been placed under strict surveillance upon arrival on September 29. A joint physical examination conducted on Tuesday, October 6, uncovered a massive cache of 354,000 tablets of Tapentadol (250mg) weighing 307.20 kilograms.
In a twin operational strike at the Lagos airport, anti-narcotics officers intercepted a consolidated cargo arriving from the United Kingdom. Following strategic tracking, a physical search of six “Ghana-Must-Go” bags exposed 70 tightly packed parcels of Colorado, weighing 75.90 kilograms, dealing a severe blow to the syndicate’s supply line.
Investigations into the United Kingdom transit pipeline led to the swift arrest of John Edrah, 54, a clearing agent, on September 30. Following targeted surveillance, anti-narcotics operatives cornered an Uber driver, Taofiq Ajibola, 54, as he attempted to retrieve one of the drug-laden bags at a logistics firm in the Mafoluku area of Oshodi.
The enforcement dragnet subsequently reeled in Adetunji Adebayo and clothing trader Kazeem Damola Dosunmu, 48, who had arrived to claim the remaining five bags. During interrogation, Ajibola claimed the contraband was dispatched by a UK-based associate, Lukman Sa’idu, while Dosunmu traced his own illicit cargo to another British-based supplier identified only as Yusuf.
In Cross River State, a tactical raid on Iyala Nkun village in the Ikom Local Government Area on Sunday, October 4, culminated in the arrest of Adama Inuwa, 46. Operatives at the scene confiscated 181 bags of cannabis sativa tipping the scale at a massive 1,100 kilograms, along with 17.15 kilograms of cannabis seeds.
Operations in Edo State yielded further success on Monday, October 5, when NDLEA teams intercepted a black Toyota Camry at Otuo, Owan East LGA. The vehicle was packed with 1,049 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 702.83 kilograms, leading to the arrest of Monday Orji, 52, Monday Lawal, 40, and Precious Uduegele, 20. A separate raid at Asoro, off Sakponba Road in Benin City, resulted in the capture of Ojugo Mercy, 26, who was found with 989 grams of Loud, 13 grams of Colorado, and 83 grams of methamphetamine.
While in Ondo State, 21-year-old suspect Happy Endurance was tracked down at her hideout in the Shasha area of Akure on Monday, October 5, where operatives recovered 29 bags of cannabis weighing 290 kilograms. The same day, an enforcement team stormed an apartment in Oba-Ile, Akure, arresting Tunde Adebayo, 42, with 35 bags of the identical psychoactive substance weighing 351 kilograms.
A joint military-NDLEA operation on Friday, October 9, in Chanchanji village, Wukari LGA of Taraba State, led to the arrest of Abdulrasheed Mohamed, 31, and Abubakar Saidu, 37. The suspects were caught with 166,200 tablets of Tramadol (225mg) weighing 107 kilograms.
Simultaneously, a stop-and-search operation along the Kano-Maiduguri Road in Kano State resulted in the arrest of Yahaya Musa, 32, who was found transporting a pharmacy of illicit substances, including 24,990 capsules of Tramadol, 50,000 tablets of Diazepam, and 22,000 tablets of Exol-5.
In Kaduna State, highway patrol teams along the Zaria-Kaduna Expressway intercepted Mohammed Musa, 29, in possession of 31 jumbo bags and 775 compressed blocks of skunk, totalling an astonishing 1,027 kilograms. Down south in Orile, Lagos State, suspect Musbau Balogun Adekunle was arrested on Tuesday, October 6, with 32.51 kilograms of skunk and 52.65 kilograms of its seeds, bringing his total haul to 85.16 kilograms.
The anti-narcotics sweep took a dangerous security turn in Plateau State on Thursday, October 8, when NDLEA operatives raided the residence of 45-year-old Christian Chukwudi Uju along Rukuba Road in Jos. Alongside 47 grams of methamphetamine, officers uncovered an arsenal of weaponry:
- Two pump-action rifles
- One locally manufactured gun
- 199 live cartridges
- Five rounds of 7.62mm ammunition
- One round of 9mm ammunition
Running parallel to these high-profile enforcement operations, the agency sustained its grassroots War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign over the past week. Specialized enlightenment lectures targeting drug abuse prevention were delivered to students and administrators across several frontline institutions:
- Progressive Grammar School, Tede, Oyo State
- Baptist High School, Lambata, Niger State
- Madarasatul Tarbiyatul Islamiya, Galangalan Tudun Wada, Kano State
- Ipara Senior and Junior Community Secondary School, Badagry, Lagos State
- Manbahu Ridwanullah Nursery and Primary School, Olomore, Abeokuta, Ogun State
Reacting to the sweeping successes, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), highly commended the professionalism and intelligence-driven approach displayed by the Lagos, MMIA, PHIA, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Cross River, Ondo, and Plateau commands.
Brig. Gen. Marwa urged the officers and their colleagues nationwide to maintain the agency’s current balanced approach, seamlessly combining hard enforcement with robust drug demand reduction efforts to secure the nation.
