By Nkechi Eze
Barely three years after serving a prison sentence for drug trafficking, an 80-year-old ex-convict, Jeremiah Isaiah Nkanta, has again been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for returning to the illicit drug trade, as the agency recorded multiple high-profile arrests and large seizures of narcotics across several states of the federation.
Nkanta, described by the NDLEA as notorious in illicit drug dealings, was first arrested on 14 December 2022, prosecuted and subsequently sentenced to two years’ imprisonment by a Federal High Court sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. However, investigations revealed that shortly after regaining his freedom, the octogenarian returned to the same criminal activity he had previously been convicted for. Acting on credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives tracked him to his residence in Mmanta–Abak village, Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, where he was arrested on Saturday, 10 January 2025. A search of his home led to the recovery of 5.7 kilogrammes of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis.
In another major interdiction operation in Akwa Ibom State, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Oron–Ibaka Road in Oron Local Government Area intercepted a 37-year-old businessman, Ani Onyebuchi Romans, on Friday, 9 January. Romans was travelling with full-body mannequins reportedly meant for his clothing business in Cameroon. A thorough search of the mannequins, however, revealed that they had been carefully stuffed with tramadol pills weighing 5.3 kilogrammes. The suspect told investigators that he resides in Cameroon and was returning after the Christmas and New Year holidays. He further claimed that the drugs were purchased in Onitsha, Anambra State, and concealed inside two mannequins for onward trafficking and sale in Cameroon.
In Oyo State, sustained raids across several locations resulted in the arrest of notorious drug dealers and the seizure of dangerous illicit substances. At Sasa, Ibadan, NDLEA operatives arrested 45-year-old Remi Bamidele, popularly known as “Aluko the Mafia,” with a total of 10.696 kilogrammes of Colorado, Scottish Loud, Ghana Loud, Canadian Loud and skunk, all variants of cannabis. Two vehicles, a Toyota Venza and a Toyota Yaris with registration number HG 06 LYD, were also recovered from him during his arrest on Thursday, 8 January. Further operations in Ibadan led to the arrest of Adeola Toheeb, 27, at the Adegbayi area with various quantities of Colorado, Ghana Loud and skunk, while Habeeb Ali, 29, was apprehended at Ring Road with 1.264 kilogrammes of Colorado, Scottish Loud and skunk. A cash sum of ₦1,307,100, believed to be proceeds of drug trafficking, was also recovered from Habeeb Ali at the point of his arrest on Saturday, 10 January.
In Edo State, a dispatch rider, Osagbovo Edigin, 30, alongside two other suspects, Ebimi Labo, 28, and Akhimie Success, 25, were arrested on Friday, 9 January, along Ihama/Airport Road, GRA, Benin City. Their arrest followed the seizure of 118 grammes of Canadian Loud and a wrap of Colorado. Additional arrests in the state saw Jimoh Agbonmhegbe, 49, apprehended at Irrua with 17.552 kilogrammes of Colorado, Loud and skunk, while Evelyn Okoyomon, 38, was arrested at Ubiaja with 930 grammes of skunk on Wednesday, 7 January.
In Niger State, NDLEA operatives recovered no fewer than 4,000 pills of tramadol 225mg from a 22-year-old suspect, Nazifi Umar, at Dakwa town in Tafa Local Government Area. In Taraba State, another suspect, Yusuf Usman, 41, was arrested at Lankaviri in Yorro Local Government Area with 100 blocks of skunk weighing 47 kilogrammes on Wednesday, 7 January. Similarly, in Adamawa State, NDLEA officers recovered 30,950 capsules of tramadol from the residence of Ugwoke Chibueze, 40, in the Bachure area of Yola South Local Government Area. His arrest followed an earlier interception at the Lamido Aliyu Mustapha International Airport, Yola, on Tuesday, 6 January.
Beyond enforcement, the NDLEA also sustained its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign during the period under review. Sensitisation lectures were delivered to students and staff of Government Day Science and Technical College, Babura, Jigawa State; Abiayubal Ansari Islamiyya School, Layin Indo Mai Tuwan Tara, Fagge Local Government Area of Kano State; as well as youths of Oshituma Umuogudu Akpu Ngbo in Ebonyi State, among other communities.
Commending the officers and men of the Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, Taraba, Edo, Oyo and Niger Commands for their operational successes, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised their commitment and professionalism. He noted that the achievements recorded, alongside those of other commands nationwide, reflect the agency’s balanced approach to both drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction, adding that the sustained momentum in the fight against drug abuse and trafficking remains a top priority of the NDLEA.
