A 101-year-old great-grandmother has been arrested by Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) over alleged cannabis sales in Ogun State, in one of the most unusual cases reported by the agency. Esther Ogunmabo was arrested in Ilisan with 90 grammes of skunk packaged in small sachets, but the NDLEA has since granted her bail and placed her on counselling because of her age.
The arrest took place on Saturday, 15 August, although details were made public by the NDLEA on Sunday, 23 August.
According to the agency, Ogunmabo told officers that she sold the cannabis in small quantities to people in her community. The allegation has not been tested in court, and PUNCH said it had not been able to speak directly with her.
The NDLEA said the elderly woman told investigators that she entered the illicit drug trade after a fire destroyed the provisions shop from which she had previously earned a living.
Officers said she also claimed that one of her daughters, who lives in Lagos, arranged supplies of the cannabis about every four days for her to sell in smaller quantities. The daughter has since been arrested, according to the agency.
NDLEA grants 101-year-old suspect bail
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.) directed that Ogunmabo should be released on bail and undergo counselling because of her advanced age.
The decision means she was not being kept in detention at the time the agency issued its statement. The NDLEA did not announce that she had been charged or convicted of any offence.
That distinction is important: an arrest does not establish guilt, and any criminal responsibility would have to be determined through Nigeria’s legal process.
The substance recovered was described as skunk, a term commonly used for varieties of cannabis with a strong concentration of psychoactive compounds.
The agency said the 90 grammes recovered from Ogunmabo had been divided into retail sachets and quoted her as saying she sold them “to locals”.
The case comes as the NDLEA continues enforcement operations against drug trafficking and abuse across Nigeria.
New Daily Prime has previously reported on the agency’s wider campaign against narcotics, including the arrest of suspected drug cartel leaders in several states. NDLEA arrests nine drug cartel leaders in one week
Cocaine found hidden inside fufu
Ogunmabo’s arrest was only one of several operations announced by the NDLEA over the weekend.
In Akwa Ibom, officers intercepted a wooden boat on Friday, 21 August, which the agency said was carrying illicit drugs towards fishing settlements in Cameroon.
Three men were arrested aboard the boat. The agency said officers recovered a total of 42.622kg of narcotics, including cannabis and 20 grammes of cocaine allegedly concealed inside a large wrap of edible cassava fufu.
The NDLEA also announced what it described as its first seizure of illicit drugs shipped from Thailand through Nigeria’s maritime corridor.
Two containers carrying cannabis indica, known as Loud, were intercepted at the Apapa and Lekki ports in Lagos. The agency estimated their combined street value at more than N4.4 billion.
At Apapa, officers working with Customs and other agencies found 1,090.5kg of Thai Loud in a container that had been declared as carrying goods including dry fish, rice, vehicle parts and batteries.
A second container examined at Lekki Deep Sea Port contained another 400kg, according to the NDLEA.
The seizures form part of a wider campaign against drug trafficking. New Daily Prime reported in June that the NDLEA command in Adamawa said it had arrested 583 suspects and secured 270 convictions during a one-year period. NDLEA nabs 583 suspects, convicts 270 in Adamawa
New Daily Prime has also reported on drug trafficking cases reaching the courts, including the conviction of a Canadian woman who received an 11-year sentence for importing cannabis into Nigeria. Canadian woman jailed 11 years for cannabis trafficking
Marwa praised officers involved in the latest operations and urged NDLEA commands to continue what the agency described as a balanced approach combining enforcement with efforts to reduce drug abuse.
For Ogunmabo, that approach has so far resulted in bail and counselling rather than continued detention. Her daughter remains linked by the NDLEA to the alleged supply arrangement, although the agency had not announced the outcome of its investigation or any court proceedings when the statement was issued.
What readers should know: The NDLEA says Esther Ogunmabo, 101, was found with 90 grammes of cannabis which she allegedly sold in small quantities. She has been granted bail and placed on counselling because of her age, while her daughter has also been arrested. Neither woman should be treated as convicted unless and until a court determines criminal responsibility.
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