The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested two elderly men aged 84 and 75 for allegedly supplying illicit drugs to secondary school students in Abia State, in one of the most disturbing manifestations of the growing sophistication and social penetration of Nigeria’s narcotics distribution networks, which have now reached into communities where the most elderly and trusted members of society have reportedly become active participants.
The 75-year-old suspect, Godwin Obiora, was apprehended at his patent medicine store in Umuahia after intelligence reports indicated he was selling opioids including tramadol and diazepam to students and other users. A search of his premises recovered 4.64 kilograms of the substances.
The 84-year-old suspect, Godfrey Orji, was caught allegedly supplying drugs to teenage students within the premises of Saint Silas Secondary School in Old Umuahia. A 15-year-old SS2 student reportedly confirmed that Orji had regularly supplied him with substances he both consumed and distributed to classmates. The school handed the suspect to the police, who transferred the matter to NDLEA. Both elderly suspects face arraignment while the students have been placed on counselling and rehabilitation programs.
Separately, NDLEA operatives in Lagos intercepted 9.5 kilograms of ADB Chminaca, a dangerous synthetic cannabinoid, in a consignment from China at a courier company, and discovered 300 grammes of high-potency cannabis concealed in ladies’ handbags at another logistics firm destined for export. A wanted couple linked to a 117-kilogramme cannabis seizure in Ekiti State was apprehended after months on the run. In Oyo State, a 75-year-old woman and two others were arrested after 1,416 kilograms of cannabis hidden under sawdust were found at a residential property. In Edo State, more than four tons of cannabis were destroyed across two separate forest raids. In Kogi, a suspect was intercepted with methamphetamine concealed inside custard containers on the Okene-Lokoja Highway.
NDLEA Chairman Buba Marwa said the drug-supply networks were demonstrating increasingly disturbing social penetration and that the involvement of elderly persons and minors in distribution chains highlighted the urgency of combining enforcement with sustained community-based prevention.
