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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
An 80-year-old grandpa, Jeremiah Isaiah Nkanta, has been re-arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for returning to the criminal trade, barely three years after he was prosecuted and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for illicit drugs offences.
The octogenarian, who is described as a notorious drug dealer, was first arrested by the NDLEA on 14 December 2022 and prosecuted and sentenced to two years in jail by a Federal High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
However, not ready to let go of the old habit, Nkanta returned to the illicit drug trade and, following credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, 10 January 2025, tracked the ex-convict to his Mmanta-Abak village in Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, where he was arrested with 5.7 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis, in his residence.
A statement by the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed that in another successful interdiction operation in Akwa Ibom State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Oron–Ibaka road in Oron LGA on Friday, 9 January, intercepted a 37-year-old businessman, Ani Onyebuchi Romans, while travelling with full body mannequins for his clothing business in Cameroun.
A search of the mannequins revealed that they were stuffed with pills of tramadol weighing 5.3 kilograms.
The suspect claims he resides in Cameroun and was reportedly returning to his base after the Christmas and New Year holidays when he was apprehended.
It was revealed that he bought the drugs in Onitsha, Anambra State, and was trafficking them to Cameroun to sell, using two mannequins to conceal the opioids.
In Oyo State, raids across different locations led to the seizure of dangerous illicit drugs and the arrest of notorious dealers, including 45-year-old Remi Bamidele (alias ‘Aluko the Mafia’) at Sasa, Ibadan, where a total of 10.696 kilograms of Colorado, Scottish Loud, Ghana Loud, Canadian Loud and skunk, all strains of cannabis, were recovered.
At the time of his arrest on Thursday, 8 January, two vehicles – a Toyota Venza and a Toyota Yaris marked HG 06 LYD – were recovered from him.
At Adegbayi area of the state capital, Ibadan, NDLEA officers on Friday, 9 January, arrested Adeola Toheeb, 27, with various quantities of Colorado, Ghana Loud and skunk, while Habeeb Ali, 29, was nabbed at Ring Road, Ibadan, with 1.264kg of Colorado, Scottish Loud and skunk. Not less than ₦1,307,100 cash exhibit was also recovered from him at the point of his arrest on Saturday, 10 January.
A dispatch rider, Osagbovo Edigin, 30, and two other suspects, Ebimi Labo, 28, and Akhimie Success, 25, were on Friday, 9 January, arrested at Ihama/Airport Road GRA, Benin City, Edo State, in connection with the seizure of 118 grams of Canadian Loud and a wrap of Colorado.
While Jimoh Agbonmhegbe, 49, was arrested at Irrua with 17.552kg of Colorado, Loud and skunk, another suspect, Evelyn Okoyomon, 38, was nabbed at Ubiaja with 930 grams of skunk on Wednesday, 7 January.
In Niger State, no fewer than 4,000 pills of tramadol 225mg were recovered from a suspect, Nazifi Umar, 22, at Dakwa town, Tafa LGA, while another suspect, Yusuf Usman, 41, was nabbed with 100 blocks of skunk weighing 47kg at Lankaviri, Yorro LGA, Taraba State, on Wednesday, 7 January.
Not less than 30,950 capsules of tramadol were recovered from the home of a suspect, Ugwoke Chibueze, 40, in Bachure area of Yola South LGA, Adamawa State, following his arrest at the Lamido Aliyu Mustapha International Airport, Yola, on Tuesday, 6 January.
With the same vigour, commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities to schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities, among others, in the past week.
These include WADA sensitisation lectures to students and staff of Government Day Science and Technical College, Babura, Jigawa; Abiayubal Ansari Islamiyya School, Layin Indo Mai Tuwan Tara, Fagge LGA, Kano; and youths of Oshituma Umuogudu Akpu Ngbo, Ebonyi State, among others.
While commending the officers and men of Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, Taraba, Edo, Oyo and Niger Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (retd), stated that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country, especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts, are well appreciated.
