83-year-old, 78-year-old grandpas arrested for drug trafficking

by · The Eagle Online

An 83-year-old grandfather, Pa John Ofiel, and a 78-year-old grandpa, Ogunjobi Samuel, were among suspects arrested in the ongoing nationwide crackdown on illicit drug traffickers and dealers by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

The Director of Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, made this known to newsmen in a statement issued on Sunday.

Babafemi said Pa Ofiel was nabbed by NDLEA officers on April 28, 2026 during a raid operation at Samek by Powerline, Aba, Abia State following credible intelligence that he was dealing in illicit substances. 

As at the time of his arrest, 700 grams of skunk, a strain of cannabis, packaged in retail sachets, were recovered from him. 

The octogenarian claimed he was a professional shoemaker before delving into the illicit drug trade.

In a similar development, NDLEA operatives in Ekiti State on April 30, 2026 arrested Pa Samuel at his H22 Owode Street, Ilupeju-Ekiti for drug peddling, while 350 grams of the same psychoactive substance were seized from him at the time of his arrest.

Two ladies: Rebecca King, 24, and Opeyemi Olaniyan, 31, were arrested by NDLEA operatives in Oyo State in connection with the seizure of 1.925kg Colorado, a synthetic cannabis. 

While King was nabbed conveying the consignment along Lagos/Ibadan Expressway on April 29, Olaniyan was arrested in a follow up operation at Iwo Road, Ibadan, when she attempted taking delivery of the cargo.

In another interdiction operation in Ibadan, a notorious drug dealer, 49-year-old Taofik Adeyemi, was arrested on May 2 along with his salesman, Mustapha Oyerinde, 28, at his residence in Erunmu area of the state capital, after months of evading arrest. 

Two of his associates: Abiodun Abiola and Aderinde Ibrahim, had been arrested on December 8, 2025 and are currently being prosecuted at a Federal High Court in Ibadan. 

At the time of Adeyemi’s arrest, 3.085 kilograms of skunk and a Toyota Camry car marked EPE 299 JZ were recovered from him.

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In Osun State, a 65-year-old driver, Oladayo Awoyemi, was on April 30 arrested at Ile-Ife tollgate along Ibadan/Ilesa Expressway while conveying a carton containing 7kg skunk and 15grams of methamphetamine in his vehicle with registration number LES 114 AG. 

A follow up operation in Ilesa led to the arrest of the actual owner of the consignment, Ifedayo Babalola, 40.

A 27-year-old suspect, Yahaya Shehu, was arrested on April 29 by NDLEA operatives on patrol along Damaturu-Maiduguri Road, Borno State following credible intelligence, leading to the seizure of 76,440 pills of Tramadol 225mg. 

In another operation in Borno State, a truck driver, Magaji Isa, 30, was arrested following the interception of 14,000 capsules of Tramadol, while a follow up operation in Biu led to the arrest of the owner, Abdulhamid Mahmud, 28.

While a total of 393 blocks of compressed blocks of skunk weighing 290 kilograms were recovered from two suspects: Ojo Major Ebose, 36, and Chika Obiechefula, 32, on May 2 when their Honda Ridgeline vehicle marked KSF 65 EQ was intercepted by NDLEA officers on patrol along Abuja/Jos Highway, Kaduna State, no fewer than 49,800 capsules of Tramadol were seized from another set of two suspects: Ahmed Garba (aka Fangale), 50, and Sale Mohammed, 41, along Bauchi Road, Hadejia, Jigawa State on May 1.

In Lagos State, NDLEA officers on May 2 raided Awolowo Market, Mushin, where they recovered 740kg skunk, while an intelligence led operation at Idogbo community, Benin City, Edo State on April 30 led to the arrest of a suspect, Godstime Godspower, 25. 

Assorted illicit drugs seized from him included 57 grams of Loud, three grams of Colorado, eight grams of Tramadol; three grams of Swinol, and five grams of methamphetamine.

With the same zeal, Commands and Formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres, work places, and communities among others in the past week. 

These included WADA enlightenment lecture for students and staff of Day Secondary School, Edozhigi, Gbako LGA, Niger State; Khulafa’ul Rashidun Islamiyya, Rano, Kano State; Community Secondary School, Akweze, Anambra State; commercial motorcyclists and their passengers at Poka junction, Epe, Lagos State; and members of NAPPMED in Benin, Irrua and Auchi, Edo State.

While commending the officers and men of Abia, Ekiti, Edo, Borno, Kaduna, Jigawa, Oyo, Osun and Lagos States Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), noted their drug supply reduction efforts balanced with WADA sensitisation activities, while he charged them and their compatriots across the country to continue to build on the current tempo.

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