The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 101-year-old woman, Esther Ogunmabo, for allegedly dealing in illicit drugs in Ilisan, Ogun State.
Ogunmabo, described by the agency as a great-grandmother, was arrested on Saturday, August 15, 2026, with 90 grammes of skunk, a strain of cannabis, packaged in retail sachets.
According to NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, the centenarian told operatives that she turned to illicit drug sales after her provisions shop was destroyed by fire.
She reportedly said one of her daughters, who lives in Lagos, supplied her with the substance every four days, which she subsequently sold in small quantities to residents of the community.
Following her arrest, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), directed that Ogunmabo be granted bail and subjected to counselling because of her advanced age.
The agency also arrested the woman’s daughter in connection with the alleged drug trade.
The development was contained in a statement issued by Babafemi on Sunday as the NDLEA announced several drug seizures and arrests recorded across the country.
NDLEA intercepts N4.4bn Thai cannabis at Lagos ports
The agency also announced what it described as its first-ever seizure of illicit drugs shipped from Thailand through Nigeria’s maritime corridor.
Two containers containing cannabis indica, popularly known as Loud, were intercepted at the Apapa and Lekki ports, with a combined street value estimated at more than N4.4 billion.
Both containers originated from the Port of Laem Chabang in Thailand, according to the NDLEA, indicating the emergence of a new trafficking route allegedly being exploited by drug syndicates to smuggle synthetic cannabis into Nigeria.
At the Apapa Port, a container declared to contain dry fish, rice, vehicle spare parts, turmeric soap and inverter batteries was subjected to a joint examination by the NDLEA, Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies on Friday, August 21.
The inspection reportedly uncovered 1,090.5kg of Thai Loud packed in 54 cartons containing 2,181 sachets of 500 grammes each.
At the Lekki Deep Sea Port, another container that had been placed on the NDLEA watchlist was monitored by its Marine Special Operations Unit before a joint examination on Wednesday, August 19.
Four of seven pallets wrapped in black nylon were found to contain 96 cartons comprising 400 parcels of Thai Loud weighing 400kg. The remaining three pallets contained 798 rims of A4 paper, which the agency said had been used to conceal the drug consignment.
