Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has rearrested an 83-year-old woman, Uloma Uchechi Sunday, for narcotics trafficking barely a year after her conviction for similar drug offenses.
The octogenarian was apprehended on Wednesday, 7 October, at her residence in Obingwa Local Government Area, Abia State, after officers discovered consignments of methamphetamine and ‘Colorado’—a potent synthetic cannabis variant—wrapped around her waist.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the arrest followed intelligence reports indicating that the suspect was operating a drug den harbouring criminal syndicates.
Mrs. Sunday had previously been convicted alongside her daughter in May 2025 but was released after paying a ₦200,000 fine.
International Airport Interceptions
The arrest in Abia formed part of a series of intelligence-led operations across the country targeting major drug trafficking routes:
- Port Harcourt International Airport: Operatives arrested a South African national, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, arriving on a Qatar Airways flight from Thailand. Officers recovered 32.74kg of ‘Thai Loud’ cannabis concealed inside two travelling bags. The agency noted the suspect confessed to attempting to expand her African trafficking routes.
- Murtala Muhammed International Airport (Lagos): A joint inspection intercepted 354,000 tablets of high-potency Tapentadol (307.2 kg) imported from Pakistan aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight. In a separate operation at the Lagos airport, officers seized 75.9kg of UK-sourced ‘Colorado’, leading to the arrest of a clearing agent, an Uber driver, and two syndicate members sent to retrieve the cargo.
Regional Seizures and Firearm Discoveries
NDLEA tactical units also disrupted major distribution networks across several states:
- Cross River & Edo: Operatives intercepted over 1.1 tonnes of cannabis in Cross River State, alongside a separate seizure of 702.8kg of compressed cannabis from a vehicle in Owan East, Edo State.
- Taraba & Kano: Joint security operations supported by military personnel in Taraba State yielded 166,200 tramadol tablets, while highway patrols in Kano recovered 96,990 illicit pharmaceutical pills, including tramadol and diazepam.
- Kaduna: Officers seized 1,027kg of skunk along the Zaria-Kaduna Expressway.
- Plateau: A raid on a residential property in Jos uncovered methamphetamine alongside an arms cache comprising two pump-action rifles, a locally made gun, and over 200 rounds of live ammunition.
NDLEA Chairman Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.) commended the operating units for their intelligence-driven operations, instructing officers to sustain supply-reduction efforts alongside ongoing nationwide drug prevention campaigns.
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