101-year-old great-grandmother arrested for drug trafficking

Abimbola Joseph

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 101-year-old great-grandmother, Esther Ogunmabo, for dealing in illicit drugs in Ilisan, Ogun State.

The centenarian was apprehended on Saturday, 15 August 2026, in possession of 90 grams of “skunk”, a potent strain of cannabis, packaged in retail sachets for sale to locals.

According to the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, Ogunmabo admitted to turning to drug dealing after her provisions shop was destroyed by fire. She asserted that one of her daughters, based in Lagos, arranged a fresh supply of cannabis every four days for her to sell in small quantities.

Owing to her advanced age, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), directed that Ogunmabo be granted bail and placed on counselling, while her daughter has since been arrested.

In related developments across the country, NDLEA operatives in Akwa Ibom State, intercepted high seas wooden boat on 21 August carrying 42.622 kg of illicit drugs and 20 grams of cocaine, concealed inside a wrap of cassava fufu, bound for fishing settlements in Cameroon. Three suspects were taken into custody.

The agency also recorded its first-ever drug seizure routed from Thailand via sea. Two containers carrying synthetic cannabis (“Thai Loud”) valued at over N4.4bn were intercepted at the Apapa and Lekki ports, hidden among goods such as rice, motor spare parts, and paper rims.

In the Federal Capital Territory, officers intercepted 24,410 tramadol capsules sent via a commercial bus route from Enugu, subsequently arresting the owner in Niger State. In Ondo State, officers destroyed a four-hectare cannabis plantation containing 10,000 kg of skunk in the Ijare Forest, while further raids in Kano, Lagos, and Abia states led to multiple arrests and the confiscation of sizeable quantities of cannabis, tramadol, and rohypnol.