NDLEA Arrests 80-Year-Old Man For Alleged Drug Dealing In Rivers

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested an 80-year-old man, Chika Ugwoji, in Rivers State for allegedly dealing in illicit drugs.

The octogenarian was arrested at Ahoada on Tuesday, July 14, during an operation by the agency, where he was allegedly found in possession of 800 grams of skunk, a strain of cannabis.

NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, who confirmed the arrest, said the operation was part of a nationwide roundup of anti-drug operations conducted across several states.

The agency described the arrest as one of several significant breakthroughs recorded in its ongoing campaign against drug trafficking and abuse across the country.

According to the NDLEA, the Rivers operation formed part of wider interdiction efforts that also led to the interception of 1.63 million tramadol pills concealed in two trucks heading to Kano, the arrest of a businesswoman linked to imported Canadian Loud cannabis in Lagos, the dismantling of an alleged drug warehouse in Edo State, and the arrest of a Chadian woman alongside her Nigerian accomplice over a tramadol consignment intercepted in Kogi State.

While the agency did not disclose how long Ugwoji had allegedly been involved in the illicit drug trade or whether he had previous convictions, it said he was taken into custody after officers recovered the suspected cannabis from him.

Reacting to the series of operations, chairman and chief executive officer of the NDLEA, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers of the Rivers, Lagos, Edo and Kogi Commands for their vigilance and professionalism.

Marwa said the successes recorded in the operations had further strengthened Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to curb drug trafficking and abuse, urging operatives to remain vigilant and sustain the momentum in the fight against illicit substances.

The NDLEA also said its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign continued across the country with sensitisation lectures held in schools in Katsina, Enugu, Lagos, Rivers, Ekiti and Kano states as part of efforts to discourage drug abuse, especially among young people.