A year after conviction, NDLEA rearrests 83-year-old woman with meth, colorado

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has rearrested an 83-year-old woman, Mrs Uloma Uchechi Sunday, with consignments of methamphetamine and Colorado, barely a year after she was prosecuted and convicted for drug-related offences.

The octogenarian was arrested on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at her residence in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State, following intelligence that she allegedly operated a drug joint frequented by criminal elements.

In a statement on Sunday, NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the drugs recovered from the suspect were tied around her waist with a wrapper.

Babafemi said Uloma was first arrested on May 17, 2025, alongside her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi, at the same residence.

He stated that the operatives recovered 50 grammes of methamphetamine, 522 grammes of skunk, 260 grammes of fresh cannabis leaves and 12 grammes of tramadol during the operation.

Babafemi disclosed that the mother and daughter pleaded guilty and were each sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment or a fine of ₦200,000. He added that both paid the fines and were subsequently released.

He said the older woman allegedly returned to the drug trade after her release and established a drug joint where she reportedly accommodated individuals suspected of criminal activities.

In another operation in Ondo State, Babafemi revealed that NDLEA operatives arrested a 21-year-old suspect, Happy Endurance, at a hideout in the Shasha area of Akure on Monday, October 5.

He stated that 29 bags of cannabis weighing 290 kilogrammes were recovered during the operation.

Babafemi added that a separate raid on an apartment in Oba-Ile, Akure, on the same day led to the arrest of 42-year-old Tunde Adebayo, with 35 bags of cannabis weighing 351 kilogrammes.

In Taraba State, Babafemi said NDLEA operatives, supported by soldiers, arrested Abdulrasheed Mohamed, 31, and Abubakar Saidu, 37, at Chanchanji village in Wukari Local Government Area on Friday, October 9.

He disclosed that the suspects were found with 166,200 tablets of tramadol, each containing 225 milligrammes, weighing a total of 107 kilogrammes.

Babafemi further stated that a stop-and-search operation along the Kano-Maiduguri Road in Kano State on the same day resulted in the arrest of 32-year-old Yahaya Musa.

According to him, operatives recovered 24,990 capsules of tramadol, 50,000 tablets of diazepam and 22,000 tablets of Exol-5 from the suspect.

In Kaduna State, Babafemi said officers on patrol along the Zaria-Kaduna Expressway arrested 29-year-old Mohammed Musa with 31 jumbo bags of skunk and 775 blocks of the same substance, with a combined weight of 1,027 kilogrammes.

He added that operatives arrested Musbau Balogun Adekunle in the Orile area of Lagos State on Tuesday, October 6, with 32.51 kilogrammes of skunk and 52.65 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds, bringing the total seizure to 85.16 kilogrammes.

Babafemi also disclosed that NDLEA operatives raided the residence of 45-year-old Christian Chukwudi Uju on Rukuba Road in Jos, Plateau State, on Thursday, October 8, recovering illicit drugs, firearms and ammunition.

He said the items recovered included 47 grammes of methamphetamine, two pump-action rifles, one locally made gun, 199 live cartridges, five rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and one round of 9mm ammunition.

Beyond enforcement operations, Babafemi said NDLEA commands and formations across the country sustained their War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaigns during the week.

He listed schools and institutions visited as Progressive Grammar School, Tede, Oyo State; Ehugbo Technical College, Afikpo, Ebonyi State; Baptist High School, Lambata, Niger State; Madarasatul Tarbiyatul Islamiya, Galangalan Tudun Wada, Kano State; Ipara Senior and Junior Community Secondary School, Badagry, Lagos State; and Manbahu Ridwanullah Nursery and Primary School, Olomore, Abeokuta, Ogun State, among others.

Babafemi said the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers and men of the Lagos, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Port Harcourt International Airport, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Cross River, Ondo and Plateau commands for their professionalism and intelligence-led operations.

He added that Marwa urged personnel across the country to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control, combining enforcement with public education and sensitisation.

The NDLEA said its operations would continue as it intensifies efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks and curb the distribution of illicit substances across the country.