The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested an 83-year-old ex-convict, Uloma Sunday, with consignments of methamphetamine and Colorado concealed around her waist in Abia State. This is barely a year after she was nabbed, prosecuted, and convicted for the same offence. According to the NDLEA, her re-arrest followed credible intelligence indicating that she runs a notorious drug joint that harbours criminal elements who terrorise the community.
Uloma's first encounter with the law was on May 17, 2025, when she was arrested by NDLEA operatives at her residence alongside her daughter, Chisom Uchechi, 32, with 50 grams of methamphetamine, 522 grams of skunk, 260 grams of fresh cannabis leaves, and 12 grams of tramadol. Both pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment or a fine of N200,000 each. They paid the fine and were subsequently released by the court.
The NDLEA also arrested a South African lady, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, with 30 parcels of Thai Loud, a species of cannabis, weighing 32.74 kilograms, concealed in two travelling bags, at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Rivers State. The suspect had travelled from Thailand via Doha aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1431 and confessed to having previously trafficked through other African countries.
In a related development, the NDLEA seized a consignment of nine cartons from Pakistan aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, containing 354,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg weighing 307.20kg. Another consignment from the United Kingdom was also intercepted, containing 70 parcels of Colorado, a synthetic cannabinoid weighing 75.90kg.
Several surveillance operations by NDLEA operatives across the country led to seizures and arrests of suspects behind the peddling of hard drugs. A raid on Iyala Nkun village, Ikom LGA, Cross River State, led to the arrest of Adama Inuwa, 46, with 181 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 1,100kg and 17.15kg of cannabis seeds. In Edo, NDLEA operatives intercepted a black Toyota Camry conveying 1,049 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 702.83kg.
The NDLEA also revealed that a 21-year-old suspect, Happy Endurance, was trailed to her hideout in Shasha area of Akure, Ondo State, where 29 bags of cannabis weighing 290kg were recovered by NDLEA operatives. In Taraba, NDLEA operatives arrested Abdulrasheed Mohamed, 31, and Abubakar Saidu, 37, at Chanchanji village, Wukari LGA, with 166,200 tablets of Tramadol 225mg weighing 107kg.
The agency said its Commands and formations across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities to schools, worship centres, workplaces, and communities. These activities include WADA enlightenment lectures to students and staff of various schools and institutions in Oyo, Ebonyi, Niger, Kano, Lagos, and Ogun States.
Key points
- The NDLEA arrested 83-year-old Uloma Sunday, an ex-convict, with consignments of methamphetamine and Colorado in Abia State.
- A South African lady, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, was arrested with 32.74kg of cannabis at the Port Harcourt International Airport.
- The NDLEA seized consignments of illicit drugs, including 354,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg and 70 parcels of Colorado, in Lagos.
