The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency arrested an 85-year-old grandmother, Grace Ehimeka, in Edo State on October 16, 2026, after seizing 15 bags of cannabis weighing 179 kilograms from her residence, alongside sweeping nationwide drug raids that uncovered multi-billion-naira tramadol shipments and intercepted Saudi-bound narcotics.
Law enforcement authorities detained Grace Ehimeka, widely known as Mama Grace, during coordinated operations across communities in the Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State. The arrest formed part of an aggressive nationwide interdiction campaign spanning Lagos, Kano, Edo, Ondo, and Bauchi states, and the Federal Capital Territory.
Grace Ehimeka and Five Other Suspects Apprehended in Edo State Raids
Edo State NDLEA Commander Mitchell Ofoyeju disclosed the details of the operation in a statement. Operatives targeted drug storage and distribution networks in Warake, Ivbiaro, and Ewe-Uzeba following actionable intelligence.
Alongside the octogenarian, officials apprehended five other suspected traffickers: Ali Garba, 57; Habib Braimoh, 45; Musa Mubid, 35; Ayo Aigberadion, 53; and Hope Okoro, 35. Authorities recovered a combined cache of 407.39 kilograms of cannabis, 546 grams of loud, 114 grams of tramadol, four grams of diazepam, and three grams of swinol during the joint operations. In the Warake community specifically, operatives found Musa Mubid with two kilograms of cannabis, cannabis seeds, loud, and assorted pharmaceuticals.
Addressing reporters regarding the elderly suspect, Ofoyeju maintained that the agency would not grant exceptions based on chronological age.
The NDLEA Act is clear: you cannot hide under the canopy of old age and perpetrate acts that violate the law. The octogenarian, Grace Ehimeka, was apprehended on October 16, 2026, in her house at Warake community. This is a bad example for her children and grandchildren.
Mitchell Ofoyeju, Edo State NDLEA Commander
In her confessional statement, Ehimeka admitted ownership of the illicit stock and pleaded for leniency from the authorities.
I am a widow and started selling cannabis over two years ago just to survive. My family members have warned me to stop, but I kept postponing my decision to stop. Officers, if you give me another chance, I will never sell cannabis again.
Grace Ehimeka, Suspect
Apapa Port Yields 8,725 Kilogrammes of Powdered Tramadol Worth Over N6.98 Billion
Far beyond the rural communities of Edo State, federal maritime and airport interdictions struck major blows against high-volume drug syndicates. At the Apapa Port in Lagos, a joint examination involving the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the Nigeria Customs Service uncovered a massive consignment originating from India.
The shipment, initially declared on October 2, 2026, at the APM terminals as maize starch, underwent forensic laboratory testing that established the contents were actually tramadol hydrochloride powder. When agents separated the illicit drugs from their concealment on October 14, the volume reached 8,725 kilogrammes packed across 349 bags. Agency officials valued the seizure at more than N6.98 billion on the illicit market.
Meanwhile, at the Tincan Island Port in Lagos on October 12, officers discovered 55 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud valued at N165 million. The potent strain of cannabis was hidden inside a brown carton placed inside a Toyota Sienna vehicle, which had been transported inside a 40-foot shipping container.
Kano Airport Interception of Saudi-Bound Cannabis Concealed in Palm Oil
At the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, security personnel intercepted a Saudi Arabia-bound consignment of cannabis concealed in a gallon of palm oil. Based on details released by Director of Media and Advocacy Femi Babafemi in agency press notes, the traveler, Ahmad, reported to investigators that her cousin, Abubakar Yahaya, had provided the gallon before he was subsequently intercepted at the airport car park.
Additional nationwide operations targeted drug markets and transport corridors. In Lagos, operatives raided the Idumota Market on October 14, arresting Elizabeth Chidera Kalu and seizing 10,600 ampoules of diazepam injection alongside 6,500 tablets of Molly. In Mushin, two suspects were picked up with substantial quantities of skunk. In Ondo State, officers destroyed 7,500 kilogrammes of skunk across a three-hectare plantation in the Okemoro Isinbode camp forest, arresting five individuals.
Bauchi and Kaduna Interceptions Reveal Massive Pill Shipments
Northern transport routes saw significant seizures as well. In Bauchi State, officers intercepted a Volkswagen Golf driven by Shamsu Garba at Ragwam village in the Katagum Local Government Area on October 14, recovering 894,800 pills combining tramadol capsules and Exol-5 tablets. Along the Bauchi-Gombe Road, patrol teams recovered 291 blocks of cannabis weighing 265 kilogrammes from an abandoned vehicle.
In Kano State along the Zaria-Kano road, officers seized 30,100 tablets of tramadol 225mg and arrested two suspects, while another individual was nabbed with 100,000 tablets of Exol-5. In the FCT, operatives arrested a suspect in the Utako area on October 17 with 29,500 capsules of tramadol.
Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, commended personnel across the commands. He urged officers nationwide to maintain an aggressive posture against trafficking syndicates while balancing enforcement with public awareness and preventive education.
