The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a 101-year-old woman for alleged drug dealing and announced several seizures of illicit substances across the country, including a consignment found hidden in cassava flour known as fufu.

Esther Ogunmabo was arrested on 15 August 2026 at Ilisan, Ogun State with 90 grammes of cannabis, which she reportedly admitted selling in small quantities. She told officers that she turned to the trade after her provisions shop was destroyed by fire and that one of her daughters in Lagos supplied her every four days.

NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) directed that she be granted bail and placed on counselling because of her age. Her daughter was arrested.

In a separate operation in Akwa Ibom on 21 August, officers intercepted a wooden boat heading towards fishing settlements and arrested three suspects. Among the items recovered was a quantity of cocaine found inside a wrap of fufu, along with other cannabis products.

The agency also reported its first seizure of illicit drugs shipped from Thailand through the maritime corridor after intercepting two containers of cannabis indica, known as Loud, at Apapa and Lekki ports in Lagos.

The combined value of major seizures in the recent operations was put at over N4.4 billion.

Further operations in Ondo, Kwara, Oyo, Kano, Abia and other locations led to additional recoveries of cannabis, methamphetamine and other controlled substances, as well as the destruction of a large cannabis farm.