00:00Men of the Nigeria Anti-Illicit Drugs Police, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA have arrested an 82-year-old woman and grandmother, Mrs. Yuloma Uchechi Sunday who took over the illegal business of selling illicit drugs including tramadol to earn a living and survived two years ago after her son who was doing the illicit drugs business died.
00:23The grandmother who was arrested at her home at Umuaguma in Tiga Uzor Village in Abia State last Saturday, allegedly confessed to the crime according to the NDLEA.
00:35NDLEA during the previous week also arrested an 80-year-old ex-convict and grandfather, Ayuga Uchechi who just got released from prison after serving 10 years imprisonment illicit drugs offense for another drug offense barely one year after the ex-convict was released in 2024.
00:52NDLEA in a news release last Sunday also stated that its operatives during the week nabbed a polytechnic student selling drugs to others, recovers cocaine in female headgear going to Australia, uncovers AK-47 rifle, magazines in May's sack.
01:10Details of the news release as presented by Femi Baba Femi, Director, Media and Advocacy, of the National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency, NDLEA reads verbatim below.
01:23NDLEA operatives in Abia State on Saturday the 17th of May raided the home of 82-year-old Mrs. Yuloma Uchechi Sunday at Umuaguma in Tiga Uzor Village where different quantities of methamphetamine, tramadol and skunk,
01:38a strain of cannabis as well as a cash exhibit of 130,600 nairas were recovered from her and her daughter, 32-year-old Chisam Uchechi.
01:50The grandma confessed that she and her daughter took over the drug trade after her son who started the business died two years ago.
01:57Two octogenarians, an 80-year-old grandpa Ayuga Uchechi and 82-year-old grandma Mrs. Yuloma Uchechi Sunday as well as her daughter Chisam Uchechi.
02:0932, topped the list of suspects arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, in raids carried out across the country
02:19while opioids worth over 3.2 billion nairas were intercepted at Apapa Seaport in Lagos and Port Harcourt Port, Onay, Rivers State.
02:30Ayuga had previously been arrested and prosecuted by NDLEA for drug-dealing offences was convicted and served 10-year jail term between 2014 and 2024.
02:40He was again arrested on Wednesday 14 May 2025 at Barazana Street, Dogarawa area of Sabongari LGA, Kaduna State by NDLEA offices acting on credible intelligence.
02:55A total of 2.3 kilograms of skunk packaged in nylons and papers in retail sizes were recovered from him.
03:03He claimed to have been in the illicit drug trade for the past 46 years.
03:07At the Port Harcourt Ports Complex in Onay, Rivers State, a total of 3 million, 3 million pills of tapantidol and carisopridol royal 225 milligrams worth 2.1 billion nairas in street value
03:22were intercepted in one of the containers watch listed by the agency based on intelligence.
03:28The seizure was made on Wednesday 14 May during a joint examination of the container by NDLEA officers, men of Customs Service and other security agencies.
03:39In like manner, NDLEA operatives at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos on Tuesday 13 May intercepted another watch listed container declared to have new car parts and accessories from India.
03:52During a joint examination with other security agencies, a total of 169,800 bottles of codeine syrup worth over 1.1 billion nairas in street value were discovered concealed in the shipment.
04:07In Quarra State, no fewer than 199,200 pills of tramadol were recovered from two suspects.
04:15Abdul Wahab Quadir and Abdul Rahim Ismail on Friday 16 May following their arrest at Gagel area of Aloran by NDLEA operatives who also raided Fava Lodge in the state capital where an HND1 student of the Department of Laboratory Science Technology,
04:33Quarra State Poly, Quarra State Polytechnic, Ibrahim Oladameji Abdullatif was arrested with 650 grams of loud, a strong strain of cannabis already measured in 149 cups, which he sells to other students.
04:48At a courier company in Lagos, NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, DOGI,
04:56on Friday, on Friday 16 May intercepted 250 grams of cocaine concealed in female headgear going to Australia.
05:05In Niger State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Mokwajaba Road on Thursday 15 May intercepted a Toyota Carina car marked AGL 945 BK conveying 316 blocks of skunk weighing 143 kilograms
05:23while a suspect, Idris Kamal, 35, was arrested.
05:28Same day, operatives on patrol at Chachi Junction along Kaduna Road arrested Emanuel Hassan, 26, with 14.3 kilograms loud.
05:39A swift follow-up operation led to the arrest of the actual owner of the consignment, Velo Aliou, alias Viti, 39.
05:46While a 60-year-old suspect, Wellman Kengbo was nabbed by NDLEA officers with 594.8 kilograms skunk at Karu area of Nasarawa State on Friday 16 May,
06:01another suspect Oyanuga Tohi, was arrested along Leki, Epa Expressway, Lagos on Thursday 15 May with 67.5 kilograms of the same psychoactive substance.
06:13In Taraba State, 5,350 pills of tramadol and diazepam were recovered from a suspect, Shafiw Ishmael, 22,
06:23when he was arrested on Thursday 15 May at Sabanen, Jalingo local government area, while
06:30Tajani Mohammed, 35, was nabbed with 198-kilogram skunk at Malamawa, Gaki local government area, Jigawa State same day.
06:41Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Abuja, Kaduna Highway on Friday 16 May intercepted a 29-year-old Ishmael Issa with an AK-47 rifle and two magazines concealed in a sack of maize.
06:57He will be transferred to the appropriate security agency for further investigation.
07:02The war against drug abuse, WADA, social advocacy activities by NDLEA commands equally continued across the country in the past week.
07:12Some of them include, WADA sensitization lecture delivered to students and staff of Supreme International School, FAG, Kano, Al-Araifin International Academy, Kaduna, Nadado Primary School, Bukori, Katsina, Ila Arangun Grammar School, Ila Arangun, Osun State,
07:32and students and students and staff of Government Secondary School, ONA, Rivers State, among others.
07:39While commending the officers and men of DOGI, ABIA, Kaduna, Khwara, PHIPC, Apapa, Lagos, Nasarawa, Jigawa, Taraba, and Niger commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week,
07:56Chairman, Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohammed Baba Mawa, retired, also praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country
08:07for pursuing a fair balance between the drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
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