83-year-old ex-convict grandma, South African lady arrested with Colos, Meth shipments

An 83, most grandmother, Mrs. Uloma Uchechi Sunday, was arrested again by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) with consignments of Methamphetamine and Colorado concealed around her waist, barely a year after she was nabbed, prosecuted and convicted for the same offence.

The octogenarian was arrested on Wednesday 7th October 2026 at her home in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, Obingwa LGA, Abia State, with quantities of Methamphetamine and Colorado tied to her waist with a wrapper.

NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafeni, on Sunday in a statement, said that her re-arrest followed credible intelligence indicating that she runs a notorious drug joint that harbours criminal elements who terrorise the community.

“Uloma’s first encounter with the law was on 17th May 2025 when she was arrested by NDLEA operatives at her residence in the same village alongside her daughter, Chisom Uchechi, 32, with 50 grams of methamphetamine, 522 grams of skunk, 260 grams of fresh cannabis leaves and 12 grams of tramadol. Both pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment or a fine of N200,000 each. They paid the fine and were released by the court.

“Undeterred, the notorious old woman promptly returned to the criminal trade and escalated the scale by setting up a drug joint where she harbours dangerous characters,” Babafeni said.

At the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Rivers State, NDLEA operatives, working in synergy with Customs Service, arrested a South African lady, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, with 30 parcels of Thai Loud, a specie of cannabis, weighing 32.74kgs, concealed in two travelling bags.

The suspect had travelled from Thailand via Doha aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1431.

She confessed to having previously trafficked through other African countries, and was expanding her route to Port Harcourt when she was caught.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives at the Import Shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos have intercepted a consignment of nine cartons from Pakistan aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight.

The cargo was placed under watch on arrival on 29th September. A joint examination of the shipment on Tuesday 6th October uncovered 354,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg weighing 307.20kgs.

In another interdiction at the Lagos airport, a consolidated cargo from the United Kingdom was monitored after arriving on 29th September. Six Ghana-Must-Go bags were found to contain 70 parcels of Colorado, a synthetic cannabinoid weighing 75.90kgs.

A clearing agent, John Edrah, 54, was the first suspect to be arrested on 30th September. Thereafter, Taofiq Ajibola, 54, an Uber driver, was arrested while collecting one of the bags at a logistics company in Mafoluku area of Oshodi, followed by Adetunji Adebayo and Kazeem Damola Dosunmu, 48, a clothing trader, who came for the remaining five.

Ajibola said the drugs were sent by a UK-based associate, Lukman Sa’idu, while Dosunmu said his own consignments came from another UK-based man identified as Yusuf.

Following surveillance, a raid on Iyala Nkun village, Ikom LGA, Cross River State by NDLEA officers on Sunday 4th October led to the arrest of Adama Inuwa, 46, with 181 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 1,100kgs and 17.15kgs of cannabis seeds.

In Edo State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a black Toyota Camry at Otuo, Owan East LGA, on Monday 5th October conveying 1,049 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 702.83kgs. Monday Orji, 52, Monday Lawal, 40, and Precious Uduegele, 20, were arrested in connection with the seizure.

In another raid, Ojugo Mercy, 26, was arrested at Asoro, off Sakponba Road, Benin City, with 989 grams of Loud, 13 grams of Colorado and 83 grams of methamphetamine.

A 21-year-old suspect, Happy Endurance was trailed to her hideout in Shasha area of Akure, Ondo State where 29 bags of cannabis weighing 290kgs were recovered by NDLEA operatives on Monday 5th October. Same day, a raid on an apartment at Oba-Ile, Akure, led to the arrest of Tunde Adebayo, 42, with 35 bags of same psychoactive substance weighing 351kgs.

In Taraba State, NDLEA operatives supported by soldiers on Friday 9th October arrested Abdulrasheed Mohamed, 31, and Abubakar Saidu, 37, at Chanchanji village, Wukari LGA, with 166,200 tablets of Tramadol 225mg weighing 107kgs, while a stop-and-search operation by NDLEA officers along the Kano-Maiduguri road, Kano on Friday 9th October led to the arrest of Yahaya Musa, 32, with 24,990 capsules of Tramadol, 50,000 tablets of Diazepam and 22,000 tablets of Exol-5.

In Kaduna State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Zaria-Kaduna expressway arrested Mohammed Musa, 29, with 31 jumbo bags of skunk and 775 blocks of same substance with a combined weight of 1,027kgs.

In Orile, Lagos, a suspect Musbau Balogun Adekunle was arrested on Tuesday 6th October with 32.51kgs of skunk and 52.65kgs of its seeds, totalling 85.16kgs.

Assorted rifles and ammunition were recovered along with illicit drug by NDLEA operatives who raided the residence of a 45-year-old Christian Chukwudi Uju at Rukuba Road, Jos, Plateau State on Thursday 8th October. Seized from him include: 47grams of methamphetamine, two pump action rifles, one locally made gun, 199 live cartridges, five rounds of 7.62mm and one round of 9mm ammunition.

With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.

These include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Progressive Grammar School, Tede, Oyo state; Ehugbo Technical College, Afikpo, Ebonyi; Baptist High School, Lambata, Niger State;
Madarasatul Tarbiyatul Islamiya, Galangalan Tudun Wada, Kano; Ipara Senior and Junior Community Secondary School, Badagry, Lagos; and Manbahu Ridwanullah Nursery and Primary School, Olomore Abeokuta, Ogun state, among others.

While commending the officers and men of Lagos, MMIA, PHIA, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Cross River, Ondo and Plateau Commands for their professionalism and intelligence-driven approach to the various successful operations, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the current balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.