Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested an 80-year-old former convict, Jeremiah Isaiah Nkanta, in Mmanta-Abak, Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, with 5.7 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis.
NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi disclosed in a statement on Sunday that Nkanta had previously been convicted for drug trafficking in December 2022 and served a two-year sentence. “Barely three years after he was arrested, prosecuted, and sentenced to two years imprisonment for dealing in illicit drugs, an 80-year-old grandpa, Jeremiah Nkanta, has again been nabbed by operatives of the NDLEA for returning to the criminal trade,” Babafemi said.
He added, “Notorious for illicit drug business, Nkanta was first arrested by NDLEA on December 14, 2022, prosecuted, and sentenced to two years in jail by a Federal High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. Not ready to let go of the old habit, Nkanta returned to the illicit drug trade, and following credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, January 10, 2025, tracked the octogenarian ex-convict to his Mmanta-Abak Village, Abak LGA, where he was arrested with 5.7 kilograms of skunk in his residence.”
In a separate operation in Oron Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, NDLEA intercepted 37-year-old businessman Ani Onyebuchi Romans along Oron–Ibaka Road. Romans was found transporting full-body mannequins allegedly containing tramadol pills weighing 5.3 kilograms, reportedly destined for Cameroon. Babafemi said Romans had purchased the drugs in Onitsha, Anambra State, and was concealing them within the mannequins for onward sale.
Further operations across Oyo State led to the arrest of notorious dealers, including 45-year-old Remi Bamidele, alias “Aluko the Mafia,” at Sasa, Ibadan, with 10.696 kilograms of various cannabis strains, including Colorado, Scottish Loud, Ghana Loud, Canadian Loud, and skunk. Two vehicles, a Toyota Venza and a Toyota Yaris (HG 06 LYD), were also seized.
Additional arrests included 27-year-old Adeola Toheeb at Adegbayi, Ibadan, with quantities of Colorado, Ghana Loud, and skunk, and 29-year-old Habeeb Ali at Ring Road, Ibadan, with 1.264 kilograms of cannabis and ₦1,307,100 in cash.
In Edo State, a dispatch rider, Osagbovo Edigin, 30, along with two others, Ebimi Labo, 28, and Akhimie Success, 25, were arrested at Ihama/Airport Road GRA, Benin City, in connection with 118 grams of Canadian Loud and a wrap of Colorado.
The NDLEA emphasized that these coordinated operations reflect ongoing efforts to curb drug trafficking and maintain public safety across the country.
