NDLEA Rearrests 83-Year-Old Woman Over Drugs

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have rearrested an 83-year-old grandmother, Mrs. Uloma Uchechi Sunday, alongside a South African citizen and several other suspects during nationwide operations that yielded significant drug seizures, weapons, and ammunition.

The Abia State Rearrest and Legal History

Mrs. Uloma Uchechi Sunday was caught on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at her home in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State. According to NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy Femi Babafemi, agents found methamphetamine and Colorado hidden around her waist under a wrapper. The arrest followed reliable information suggesting she was running a drug operation that sheltered criminal activities terrorising the community.

This incident took place just a year after her last conviction. On May 17, 2025, she was arrested at the same location with her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi. Operatives had recovered 50 grams of methamphetamine, 522 grams of skunk, 260 grams of fresh cannabis, and 12 grams of tramadol during that initial raid. Both admitted their guilt and received sentences of 12 months in prison or the option to pay a fine, which they paid before being released.

"Both pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment or a fine of N200,000 each. They paid the fine and were released by the court."

Femi Babafemi, NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, via Punch

Babafemi stated that the elderly woman returned to the illicit drug trade promptly after her release and escalated the scale by setting up a drug joint where she harbours dangerous characters.

Nationwide Airport Seizures and Logistics Networks

At Port Harcourt International Airport in Omagwa, Rivers State, NDLEA officers worked alongside the Nigeria Customs Service to apprehend a South African national named Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie. She was caught with 30 packages of 'Thai Loud', a very strong cannabis strain totaling 32.74 kilograms hidden in two travel bags. According to Babafemi, she had flown from Thailand to Doha on Qatar Airways flight QR1431 and confessed that she had previously trafficked drugs through other African countries before trying to expand her operation to Port Harcourt.

Meanwhile, NDLEA agents at the Import Shed of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos, found 354,000 tablets of Tapentadol weighing 307.20kg inside nine cartons that arrived from Pakistan on a Royal Air Maroc flight. In a separate operation at the Lagos airport, officers seized six bags containing 70 packages of synthetic cannabis known as Colorado weighing 75.90kg that came from the United Kingdom. Follow-up arrests included clearing agent John Edrah, Uber driver Taofiq Ajibola, Adetunji Adebayo, and clothing trader Kazeem Damola Dosunmu. Ajibola stated that his shipment was sent by a UK-based associate named Lukman Sa’idu, while Dosunmu traced his package back to another UK source called Yusuf.

State-Level Operations, Narcotics, and Arms Recoveries

Operations spanning multiple states resulted in substantial seizures of compressed cannabis, skunk, tramadol, and opioids, alongside the recovery of firearms in Plateau State. In Cross River State, a raid in Iyala Nkun village, Ikom LGA, led to the arrest of Adama Inuwa, who had 181 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 1,100kg and 17.15kg of cannabis seeds.

In Edo State, law enforcement agents stopped a Toyota Camry in Otuo, Owan East LGA, transporting 1,049 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 702.83 kg, arresting three suspects. In Benin City, operatives apprehended Ojugo Mercy with Loud, Colorado, and methamphetamine. Ondo State officers seized cannabis bags from Happy Endurance in Akure and Tunde Adebayo in Oba-Ile.

In Taraba and Kano states, joint operations with military forces resulted in significant tramadol and opioid seizures. Kaduna State officers stopped a suspect on the Zaria-Kaduna expressway carrying skunk, while another suspect was arrested in Orile, Lagos. In Plateau State, an arms recovery operation at the Jos residence of Christian Chukwudi Uju uncovered methamphetamine alongside pump-action rifles, locally made guns, live cartridges, and ammunition rounds.

Suspect / Location	State	Seizure Details
Uloma Uchechi Sunday	Abia State	Methamphetamine and Colorado concealed under wrapper
Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie	Rivers State	32.74 kg of Thai Loud (Port Harcourt International Airport)
Multiple Defendants	Lagos State	307.20 kg of Tapentadol and 75.90 kg of Colorado (MMIA)
Adama Inuwa	Cross River State	1,100 kg of cannabis sativa and 17.15 kg of seeds
Multiple Defendants	Edo State	702.83 kg of compressed cannabis (Otuo) and other narcotics
Happy Endurance & Tunde Adebayo	Ondo State	290 kg and 351 kg of cannabis across Akure locations
Abdulrasheed Mohamed & Abubakar Saidu	Taraba State	107 kg of Tramadol 225mg (Wukari)
Christian Chukwudi Uju	Plateau State	47g methamphetamine, pump-action rifles, and live cartridges

Sensitisation Campaigns and Leadership Response

Alongside enforcement actions, the NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaign across the country, delivering lectures to students and staff at institutions including Progressive Grammar School in Oyo State, Eghugo Technical College in Ebonyi State, Baptist High School in Niger State, and community secondary schools in Lagos State.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa commended officers involved across the Lagos, MMIA, Port Harcourt, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Cross River, Ondo, and Plateau commands. Babafemi reported that Marwa praised the personnel for their professionalism and intelligence-driven approach, urging them to continue with the current balanced approach to the agency's drug control efforts.