Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have re-arrested an 80-year-old ex-convict, Jeremiah Isaiah Nkanta, barely three years after he completed a jail term for drug trafficking, as the agency intensified nationwide operations that led to the recovery of large quantities of illicit drugs across several states.
Nkanta, who was first arrested on December 14, 2022, prosecuted, and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment by a Federal High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, was again apprehended on Saturday, January 10, 2026, following intelligence-led operations. NDLEA operatives tracked him to his residence in Mmanta–Abak village, Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, where 5.7 kilograms of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis, were recovered.
In another major interception in Akwa Ibom, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Oron–Ibaka Road in Oron LGA on Friday, January 9, arrested a 37-year-old businessman, Ani Onyebuchi Romans, who was travelling with full-body mannequins purportedly meant for his clothing business in Cameroon. A search revealed that the mannequins were stuffed with 5.3 kilograms of tramadol pills.
The suspect reportedly told investigators that he purchased the drugs in Onitsha, Anambra State, and was trafficking them to Cameroon after the Christmas and New Year holidays, using mannequins to conceal the opioids.
In Oyo State, NDLEA raids across Ibadan led to multiple arrests and seizures. At Sasa, Ibadan, officers arrested Remi Bamidele, 45, also known as “Aluko the Mafia,” with 10.696 kilograms of Colorado, Scottish Loud, Ghana Loud, Canadian Loud, and skunk, all variants of cannabis. Two vehicles, a Toyota Venza and a Toyota Yaris with registration number HG 06 LYD were recovered during his arrest on Thursday, January 8.
Also in Ibadan, Adeola Toheeb, 27, was arrested at Adegbayi on Friday, January 9, with quantities of Colorado, Ghana Loud, and skunk, while Habeeb Ali, 29, was apprehended at Ring Road with 1.264 kilograms of Colorado, Scottish Loud, and skunk. A cash exhibit of ₦1,307,100 was recovered from Ali at the point of arrest on Saturday, January 10.
In Edo State, a dispatch rider, Osagbovo Edigin, 30, alongside Ebimi Labo, 28, and Akhimie Success, 25, were arrested on Friday, January 9, at Ihama/Airport Road, GRA, Benin City, in connection with the seizure of 118 grams of Canadian Loud and a wrap of Colorado.
Further arrests in Edo included Jimoh Agbonmhegbe, 49, who was apprehended at Irrua with 17.552 kilograms of Colorado, Loud, and skunk, and Evelyn Okoyomon, 38, who was arrested at Ubiaja with 930 grams of skunk on Wednesday, January 7.
In Niger State, NDLEA officers recovered 4,000 pills of tramadol (225mg) from Nazifi Umar, 22, at Dakwa town, Tafa LGA. In Taraba State, Yusuf Usman, 41, was arrested at Lankaviri, Yorro LGA, with 100 blocks of skunk weighing 47 kilograms on Wednesday, January 7.
Similarly, in Adamawa State, NDLEA operatives recovered 30,950 capsules of tramadol from the residence of Ugwoke Chibueze, 40, in Bachure area of Yola South LGA, following his arrest at the Lamido Aliyu Mustapha International Airport, Yola, on Tuesday, January 6.
Meanwhile, NDLEA commands across the country sustained their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation programmes during the week, targeting schools, worship centres, workplaces, and communities. Beneficiaries included Government Day Science and Technical College, Babura (Jigawa State); Abiayubal Ansari Islamiyya School, Fagge LGA (Kano State); and youths of Oshituma Umuogudu Akpu Ngbo (Ebonyi State), among others.
Commending the officers and men of the Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, Taraba, Edo, Oyo, and Niger Commands for the successful operations, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), described the seizures and arrests as commendable. He noted that the agency’s balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction continues to yield positive results nationwide.
NDLEA Re-Arrests 80-Year-Old Ex-Convict, Uncovers Drugs Hidden in Full-Body Mannequins
