NDLEA Arrests Wanted Couple, 75-year-old Grandma, Others For Illicit Drugs In Oyo Raid

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a wanted couple, a 75-year-old grandmother and several other suspects in a series of anti-narcotics operations across Lagos, Oyo, Kogi, Ekiti and Edo states, leading to the seizure of thousands of kilograms of illicit drugs.

According to a statement released by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, operatives on Friday raided the residence of a wanted drug dealer, Lukman Badmus, popularly known as “Lukman Ogombo”, in the Ogombo area of Ajah, Lagos, where nine bottles of codeine syrup and 30 grams of skunk were recovered.

The agency said a follow-up operation at the shop of Badmus’ wife, Aisha Saraki, in the Patey area of Lagos Island resulted in the recovery of two additional bottles of codeine and various drug paraphernalia.

Babafemi disclosed that “42 compressed blocks of skunk weighing 22.5 kilograms were also recovered from a mini-bus parked in front of her shop.”

He added that operatives thwarted an attempt by Saraki to destroy evidence during the raid.

“Attempt by the wife, Aisha Saraki, to flush some of the drug exhibits in the toilet during the raid was thwarted by operatives,” the statement said.

In Kogi State, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Okene-Lokoja highway intercepted a 33-year-old suspect, Tochukwu Onah, who was travelling from Lagos to Abuja with 1.030 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed inside custard containers.

The agency also announced the arrest of a wanted couple, James Tony Chukwudi, 48, and James Kehinde, 35, who had been on the run following the seizure of 117 kilograms of skunk in Ekiti State in March.

According to the statement, the couple was eventually apprehended on June 16 at Oniyo Street in Efon-Alaaye, Ekiti State.

In Oyo State, NDLEA operatives arrested a 75-year-old woman, Tudun Olubiyi, alongside two other suspects, Nasiru Buhari, 22, and Buba Musa, 47, after raiding their residence in the Dangote area of Elekara, Oyo town.

During the operation, officers recovered 118 jumbo bags containing 1,416 kilograms of skunk concealed beneath sawdust.

The anti-drug agency also intensified its operations in Edo State, where officers raided the Khagba forest in Ikao, Owan East Local Government Area.

A suspect, Patrick Imoukhede, 45, was arrested during the operation, while 1,744.075 kilograms of skunk were destroyed and an additional 169 kilograms of the processed substance recovered.

Similarly, another raid at Ebora Camp in Ilushi, Esan South Local Government Area, led to the destruction of 2,424.945 kilograms of cannabis.

In a separate operation within the area, operatives arrested 45-year-old Augustine Anyamone with 395 kilograms of skunk.

The latest arrests and seizures are part of the NDLEA’s sustained crackdown on drug trafficking networks and illicit drug cultivation across the country.