101-year-old great-grandmother arrested as NDLEA intercepts cocaine in fufu

101-year-old great-grandmother arrested as NDLEA intercepts cocaine in fufu

Agents from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended a 101-year-old great-grandmother involved in the trade of illegal drugs, and they also seized cocaine hidden in cassava flour, commonly referred to as fufu.

In an unusual and shocking event, NDLEA agents detained a 101-year-old woman named Esther Ogunmabo on Saturday, August 15, in Ilisan, Ogun state. She was found with small packets of skunk, a type of cannabis, weighing 90 grams, which she claims to distribute to local residents.

The elderly woman explained to the agents that she turned to drug dealing after a fire destroyed her convenience store. She mentioned that one of her daughters, who lives in Lagos, sends her the drugs every four days, which she then sells in portions.

Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), who is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, has instructed that the elderly suspect be released on bail and offered counseling due to her age, while her daughter has been taken into custody.

In another incident, NDLEA operatives in Akwa Ibom state, acting on reliable information, intercepted a wooden boat on the ocean on Friday, August 21, transporting illegal drugs to fishing communities in Cameroon.

Three individuals were arrested on the boat, which was heading to Ine Isu, Ine Mbah, and Ine Ikot Itie Udung fishing ports in Cameroon. Those apprehended include Etima Effiong Eekpo, 29, who was found with 1.120 kg of skunk; Otobong Eyoh Etukudoh, 33, who possessed 42.060 kg of skunk; and Kingsley Effiong John, 27, who had 20 grams of cocaine cleverly hidden within a large bundle of edible cassava fufu, in addition to 435 grams of skunk. The total amount of narcotics seized from the three individuals was 42.622 kg.