By AGATHA N Uju, Correspondent, Abuja
A 93-year-old great grandpa and a 69-year-old medical doctor has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for suspected drug trafficking. The suspect, Pa Friday Ahukanna Chigbu was arrested at his home in Umuagbaigba, Amavo Nkwogu village, Osisioma local government area of Abia state on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, as the Agency intensified their offensive action and crackdown on drug cartels and their collaborators in intelligence-led interdiction operations across the country.
According to the NDLEA, a search in the nonagenarian residence led to the recovery of 7.7 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis.
“The suspect claimed he had worked as a truck pusher but later learnt painting and tiling before going into the illicit drug business over a year ago”, the NDELA said in a statement on Sunday.
It added, “He claimed he had been smoking skunk since 1959 before turning it into business”.
The operatives have also arrested of an Ivorian, Gohouri Michael, 41, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano with 82 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.49kg and the subsequent arrest of a 69-year-old medical doctor, Dr. Chudi Daniel Ofomata in a follow-up operation in Ogun state. These come as the Agency’s efforts to unravel local collaborators of an international drug syndicate across the country paid off.
Michael Gohouri (also known as Anunwa Onyinye Michael) was arrested on Monday February 16, 2026 during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940 to Milan, Malpensa via Addis Ababa.
Gohouri had arrived Lagos from Milan, Italy on January 17, 2026 and was shuttling from Lagos to Enugu for three weeks. He later travelled to Kano where he stayed for a week before ingesting the cocaine consignment in his hotel room. He’s expected to be paid 5,000 Euros when he delivers the drugs in Milan.
Further investigation by NDLEA revealed that Gohouri had a shadowy figure behind the scene, giving him instructions on how to move the cocaine consignment through the airport. The hidden figure behind Gohouri was eventually discovered to be Dr. Chudi Daniel Ofomata who was later tracked and traced to his residence at Teachers’ Land estate, Magboro, Obafemi Owode LGA, Ogun state where he was arrested on March 27 2026 and flown to Kano on Tuesday April 7.
Recovered from him at the point of his arrest include 63grams of promazepam and 7 ampoules of promethazine injection.
Three suspects, namely: Azeez Sanni, Olayinka Oke and Adekunle Adeyemi were arrested with 34 kilograms of skunk when NDLEA operatives raided Sango Under bridge, Sango Ota, Ogun state on Tuesday, April 7, while 56.2kg of same substance was recovered from a female suspect, Ayoka Akinwale, 26, along Onitsha- Owerri road, Owerri, Imo state on Saturday April 11.
In Niger state, NDLEA operatives on Thursday April 9 arrested a couple: Abdullahi Umar, 32, and his wife Adama Umar, 25, during a search of their Takuti village, Lapai LGA home where 118 kilograms of skunk were recovered from their kitchen.
No fewer than 42,290 tablets of Rohypnol; 82,700 mils of codeine syrup and 10,000 mils of Pentazocine injection were recovered from a trailer loaded with vehicle spare parts coming from Nnewi, Anambra state, by NDLEA officers on patrol at Njimtilo along Damaturu-Maiduguri road, Borno state. The owner of the consignment Eleje Ibeabuchi, 43, was arrested in a follow-up operation.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence on Tuesday, April 7, intercepted a Chisco Transport luxury bus marked AGU 442 XB going to Port Harcourt, Rivers state, along Lagos–Ibadan expressway. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 15 kilograms of Scottish Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, concealed in one of the compartments of the bus. Two suspects: Kingsley Nsofor and Opara Ifeanyi were promptly arrested.
