Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 101-year-old great-grandmother, Esther Ogunmabo, for allegedly dealing in cannabis in Ilisan, Ogun State.
Ogunmabo was arrested on August 15, 2026, with 90 grammes of skunk, a strain of cannabis, packaged in small sachets. The NDLEA said she admitted selling the substance in small quantities to residents in the community.
According to the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the centenarian told operatives that she turned to the illicit trade after a fire destroyed her provisions shop.
She reportedly also disclosed that one of her daughters, who lives in Lagos, supplied her with cannabis every four days for resale.
Following her arrest, the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), directed that Ogunmabo be granted bail and placed on counselling because of her advanced age.
Her daughter was also arrested over her alleged involvement in supplying the cannabis.
The arrest was disclosed as part of a series of nationwide operations by the NDLEA, which also resulted in the seizure of large quantities of illicit drugs in different parts of the country.
In Akwa Ibom State, operatives intercepted a wooden boat allegedly transporting illicit drugs towards fishing settlements in Cameroon and arrested three suspects.
The agency also reported the seizure of more than N4.4 billion worth of cannabis indica, popularly known as Loud, from two containers intercepted at the Apapa and Lekki ports in Lagos.
The NDLEA said the operations form part of its continued efforts to disrupt drug trafficking and distribution networks across Nigeria.
