NDLEA Arrests 101-year-old great-grandma, intercepts cocaine in fufu
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 101-year-old great-grandmother, Esther Ogunmabo, for allegedly selling cannabis in Ilisan, Ogun State.
Ogunmabo was arrested on August 15, 2026, with 90 grammes of skunk, a strain of cannabis, which the agency said she admitted selling in small quantities. According to the NDLEA, the centenarian told investigators that she ventured into the illicit drug trade after a fire destroyed her provisions shop.
She reportedly said her daughter, who lives in Lagos, supplied her with cannabis every four days for onward sale to local customers. Following her arrest, the NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), directed that Ogunmabo be granted bail and subjected to counselling in view of her advanced age. Her daughter was subsequently arrested in connection with the alleged drug trade.
In a separate operation in Akwa Ibom State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a wooden boat allegedly conveying illicit drugs to fishing settlements in Cameroon and arrested three suspects. The operation yielded about 42.622kg of narcotics, including 42.06kg of skunk, other quantities of cannabis and 20 grammes of cocaine concealed inside a large wrap of edible cassava fufu.
