Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested an 80-year-old former convict, Jeremiah Isaiah Nkanta, in Mmanta-Abak village, Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, with 5.7 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis.
The agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, noting that Nkanta had previously been convicted for drug trafficking in December 2022 and served a two-year prison sentence.
“Barely three years after he was arrested, prosecuted and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for dealing in illicit drugs, an 80-year-old grandfather, Jeremiah Nkanta, has again been nabbed by NDLEA operatives for returning to the criminal trade,” Babafemi said.
He explained that Nkanta was first arrested on December 14, 2022, prosecuted and sentenced by a Federal High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. Acting on credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives tracked him to his residence in Mmanta-Abak village on Saturday, January 10, 2025, where he was arrested with the illicit substance.
In a separate operation in Akwa Ibom State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a 37-year-old businessman, Ani Onyebuchi Romans, along the Oron–Ibaka Road in Oron Local Government Area.
Babafemi said Romans was arrested on Friday, January 9, while travelling with full-body mannequins allegedly meant for onward movement to Cameroon. A search revealed that the mannequins were stuffed with tramadol pills weighing a total of 5.3 kilograms.
“The suspect claimed he resides in Cameroon and was returning to his base after the Christmas and New Year holidays,” Babafemi said. “Investigations revealed that he purchased the drugs in Onitsha, Anambra State, and concealed them inside two mannequins for trafficking to Cameroon.”
Meanwhile, in Oyo State, NDLEA operatives conducted raids across multiple locations, leading to the arrest of several suspected drug dealers and the seizure of assorted illicit substances.
Among those arrested was 45-year-old Remi Bamidele, also known as “Aluko the Mafia,” who was apprehended at Sasa area of Ibadan on Thursday, January 8. A total of 10.696 kilograms of Colorado, Scottish Loud, Ghana Loud, Canadian Loud and skunk — all cannabis strains — were recovered from him. Two vehicles, a Toyota Venza and a Toyota Yaris with registration number HG 06 LYD, were also seized.
At the Adegbayi area of Ibadan, NDLEA officers on Friday, January 9, arrested 27-year-old Adeola Toheeb with various quantities of Colorado, Ghana Loud and skunk. Another suspect, Habeeb Ali, 29, was arrested at Ring Road, Ibadan, on Saturday, January 10, with 1.264 kilograms of Colorado, Scottish Loud and skunk. A cash exhibit of ₦1,307,100 was recovered from him.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives arrested a 30-year-old dispatch rider, Osagbovo Edigin, alongside two other suspects — Ebimi Labo, 28, and Akhimie Success, 25 — on Friday, January 9, at Ihama/Airport Road GRA, Benin City. The arrests followed the seizure of 118 grams of Canadian Loud and a wrap of Colorado.
