National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested an 83-year-old woman, Uloma Uchechi Sunday, in Abia State over the alleged possession of methamphetamine and Colorado, about 17 months after she was first arrested and convicted for drug-related offences.
Gatekeepers News reports that the agency said Sunday was arrested on October 7, 2026, at her residence in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, operatives recovered quantities of methamphetamine and Colorado allegedly concealed around her waist with a wrapper.
Babafemi said the arrest followed intelligence reports indicating that the octogenarian operated a drug joint allegedly frequented by criminal elements accused of terrorising residents of the community.
NDLEA spokesperson recalled that Sunday was first arrested on May 17, 2025, alongside her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi, at the same residence.
During that operation, operatives reportedly recovered 50 grammes of methamphetamine, 522 grammes of skunk, 260 grammes of fresh cannabis leaves and 12 grammes of tramadol.
The agency said both women pleaded guilty to the offences and were sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment or a fine of ₦200,000 each. They subsequently paid the fines and were released.
NDLEA alleged that Sunday returned to the illicit drug trade after her release and later established a drug joint at her residence.
In a separate operation, operatives working with the Nigeria Customs Service arrested a South African woman, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, at the Port Harcourt International Airport in Rivers State.
The agency said 30 parcels of Thai Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 32.74 kilogrammes, were discovered concealed in two travelling bags belonging to the suspect, who arrived from Thailand through Doha aboard a Qatar Airways flight.
NDLEA also reported intercepting 354,000 tablets of tapentadol weighing 307.2 kilogrammes at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. The consignment, which arrived from Pakistan on September 29, was discovered during a joint examination on October 6.
In another operation in Lagos, operatives intercepted 70 parcels of Colorado weighing 75.9 kilogrammes in six bags containing consolidated cargo from the United Kingdom.
Several suspects were arrested in connection with the shipment, including a clearing agent and an Uber driver who was allegedly collecting one of the bags at a logistics company in Mafoluku, Oshodi.
The agency said additional seizures and arrests were recorded in Cross River, Edo, Ondo, Kaduna, Taraba and Plateau states during its nationwide operations.
NDLEA Chairman, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended the operatives involved in the operations and urged personnel across the country to sustain intelligence-led efforts against drug trafficking and abuse.
