93-Year-Old Great Grandpa, Medical Doctor Arrested Over Cocaine, Skunk Trafficking As NDLEA Nabs Couple In Niger State Recovers Large Consignments Of Illicit Drugs In Lagos, FCT, Borno, Ogun, Imo, Abia, and Edo Raids

93-Year-Old Great Grandpa, Medical Doctor Arrested Over Cocaine, Skunk Trafficking As NDLEA Nabs Couple In Niger State Recovers Large Consignments Of Illicit Drugs In Lagos, FCT, Borno, Ogun, Imo, Abia, and Edo Raids

A 93-year-old great-grandfather and a 69-year-old medical doctor top the list of suspects arrested as operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) intensified their offensive against drug cartels and their collaborators through intelligence-led interdiction operations across the country.

In one such operation, a nonagenarian, Pa Friday Ahukanna Chigbu, was arrested at his home in Umuagbaigba, Amavo Nkwogu Village, Osisioma Local Government Area of Abia State, on Tuesday, 7 April 2026. A search of his residence led to the recovery of 7.7 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis. The suspect claimed he had previously worked as a truck pusher before learning painting and tiling, and later ventured into the illicit drug trade over a year ago. He also confessed to having smoked skunk since 1959 before turning it into a business venture.

Efforts to unravel local collaborators of an international drug syndicate also paid off following the arrest of an Ivorian, Gohouri Michael, 41, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, with 82 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.49 kilograms, and the subsequent arrest of a 69-year-old medical doctor, Dr Chudi Daniel Ofomata, in a follow-up operation in Ogun State. Michael Gohouri, also known as Anunwa Onyinye Michael, was arrested on Monday, 16 February 2026, during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940 to Milan, Malpensa, via Addis Ababa.

Investigations revealed that Gohouri had arrived in Lagos from Milan, Italy, on 17 January 2026 and shuttled between Lagos and Enugu for three weeks. He later travelled to Kano, where he stayed for a week before ingesting the cocaine consignment in his hotel room. He was reportedly promised 5,000 Euros upon successful delivery of the drugs in Milan.

Further investigation by NDLEA revealed that Gohouri had a shadowy figure directing his movements and instructing him on how to smuggle the cocaine consignment through the airport. The hidden mastermind was eventually identified as Dr Chudi Daniel Ofomata, who was tracked to his residence at Teachers’ Land Estate, Magboro, Obafemi Owode LGA, Ogun State, where he was arrested on 27 March 2026 and later flown to Kano on Tuesday, 7 April. Recovered from him at the point of arrest were 63 grams of promazepam and seven ampoules of promethazine injection.

Three suspects — Azeez Sanni, Olayinka Oke, and Adekunle Adeyemi — were arrested with 34 kilograms of skunk when NDLEA operatives raided Sango Under Bridge, Sango Ota, Ogun State, on Tuesday, 7 April. Similarly, 56.2 kilograms of the same substance were recovered from a female suspect, Ayoka Akinwale, 26, along the Onitsha–Owerri Road in Owerri, Imo State, on Saturday, 11 April.

In Niger State, NDLEA operatives on Thursday, 9 April, arrested a couple — Abdullahi Umar, 32, and his wife, Adama Umar, 25 — during a search of their Takuti Village, Lapai LGA residence, where 118 kilograms of skunk were recovered from their kitchen.

No fewer than 42,290 tablets of Rohypnol, 82,700 millilitres of codeine syrup, and 10,000 millilitres of pentazocine injection were recovered from a trailer loaded with vehicle spare parts coming from Nnewi, Anambra State, by NDLEA officers on patrol at Njimtilo along the Damaturu–Maiduguri Road, Borno State. The owner of the consignment, Eleje Ibeabuchi, 43, was arrested in a follow-up operation.

In Lagos, NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence on Tuesday, 7 April, intercepted a Chisco Transport luxury bus marked AGU 442 XB heading to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 15 kilograms of Scottish Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, concealed in one of the bus compartments. Two suspects, Kingsley Nsofor and Opara Ifeanyi, were promptly arrested.

In another interdiction operation in Lagos, NDLEA officers on Saturday, 11 April, at Mushin intercepted a truck conveying assorted goods to Onitsha, Anambra State. A search of the vehicle led to the seizure of 26,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup and the subsequent arrest of two suspects: Adesunloye Dada and Chibuzor Chime.

A raid on the notorious Tora Bora drug joint in Abuja by NDLEA operatives on Saturday, 11 April, led to the arrest of eight suspects: Abubakar Muhammad, Ali Isiaka, Obed Moses, Ibrahim Musa, Attahiru Audu, Kabiru Buhari, Oloruntoba Samuel, and Ellah Gyandi. A combined total of 11.516 kilograms of skunk was seized from the suspects.

In Edo State, NDLEA operatives acting on actionable intelligence on Saturday, 11 April, intercepted two long trucks marked LUY 172 XC and LUY 281 XC with bags of processed skunk concealed among cartons of beer along Warrake Road, Auchi. One truck contained 3,900 kilograms, while the second had 3,345 kilograms, bringing the total to a massive 7,245 kilograms. Five suspects arrested in connection with the seizure include Ibrahim Abu, 29; Abu Abdullazeez, 28; Jibril Jaminu, 35; Andrew Moses, 22; and Ganiyu Abu, 21. The consignments were loaded at Sabongida-Ora in Owan West LGA and were heading to Abuja when intercepted.

The War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities equally continued across commands and formations of the Agency nationwide over the past week. Highlights included sensitisation lectures for students and staff of Child Best School, Ikorodu, Lagos; Government Science Secondary School, Ajaokuta, Kogi; Community Girls Secondary School, Danja, Katsina; Government Girls Secondary School, Dabo, Kano; drivers, passengers, and park workers at Oban-Aningheje Motor Park, Calabar, Cross River; and members of the Anglican Youths Fellowship Diocese, Okinin, Osun State, among others.

While commending the officers and men of the MAKIA, Abia, Lagos, Imo, Borno, Ogun, Niger, Edo, and FCT Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures recorded over the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), equally praised their counterparts across all commands nationwide for ensuring a fair balance between drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.