Elderly Couple, Daughter Caught in N3.2bn Drug Bust
Two octogenarians — an 80-year-old grandfather and an 82-year-old grandmother — along with her 32-year-old daughter, have been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in a nationwide anti-drug operation that also led to the interception of opioids worth over N3.2 billion at major seaports.
The NDLEA disclosed this in a statement signed by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday.
According to the agency, 80-year-old Ayuba Ashiru, a convicted drug dealer who previously served a 10-year jail term, was rearrested in Kaduna on May 14, 2025. He was caught with 2.3 kilograms of skunk packaged in retail-sized nylons and paper.
“Ayuba claimed he had been in the drug trade for the past 46 years,” Babafemi said. “This is a disturbing indication of how deeply rooted the drug trade can become in people’s lives, even after serving long jail sentences.”
In a similar raid in Abia State, 82-year-old Mrs. Uloma Uchechi Sunday and her daughter, Chisom Uchechi, 32, were arrested at their home in Umuaguma Ntigha Uzor village. Officers found methamphetamine, tramadol, cannabis (skunk), and N130,600 in cash. The elderly woman reportedly said that she and her daughter took over the drug business after her son died two years ago.
“It’s shocking to see entire families, across three generations, tied to the illicit drug chain,” Babafemi added.
At the Port Harcourt Port in Rivers State, NDLEA operatives, in collaboration with Customs and other security agencies, intercepted a container carrying three million pills of tapentadol and carisoprodol with a street value of N2.1 billion.
At the Apapa seaport in Lagos, a container declared as carrying car parts from India was found to contain 169,800 bottles of codeine syrup worth over N1.1 billion.
The agency reported other seizures in Kwara, Lagos, Niger, Jigawa, Nasarawa, and Taraba states. In Kwara, two suspects were arrested with nearly 200,000 tramadol pills. A 21-year-old HND student of Kwara State Polytechnic, Ibrahim Oladimeji Abdulateef, was arrested with 650 grams of “loud,” a strong strain of cannabis, already packaged in 149 cups for sale.
In Lagos, 250 grams of cocaine hidden inside a female headgear bound for Australia was intercepted at a courier company. In Niger State, 316 blocks of skunk weighing 143 kg were seized from a vehicle along the Mokwa-Jebba road. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the alleged owner.
On the Abuja-Kaduna highway, a 29-year-old man, Ismail Isah, was arrested with an AK-47 rifle and two magazines hidden in a sack of maize. The suspect will be handed over to other security agencies for further investigation.
The NDLEA also held drug awareness lectures in schools in Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Osun, and Rivers states.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), said: “Our men and women across the country continue to strike a fair balance between reducing drug supply and addressing drug demand. I commend their bravery and professionalism.”
“This battle is not just for NDLEA; it’s a fight for the soul of our country,” he added.
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