The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has announced the arrest of a 101-year-old woman in Ogun State over alleged cannabis dealing, alongside the interception of cocaine concealed inside edible cassava flour, commonly known as fufu, during separate operations across the country.

The agency identified the elderly woman as Esther Ogunmabo, who was arrested in Ilisan, Ogun State, with retail sachets containing 90 grams of skunk, a strain of cannabis.

According to the NDLEA, Ogunmabo told operatives that she began selling the substance after her provisions shop was destroyed by fire and alleged that one of her daughters living in Lagos supplied the drugs to her every four days.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), subsequently directed that the 101-year-old woman be granted bail and placed on counselling because of her age.

The agency said her daughter was also arrested.

In a separate operation in Akwa Ibom State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a wooden boat allegedly transporting illicit drugs to fishing communities in neighbouring Cameroon.

Three suspects were arrested aboard the vessel, which the agency said was heading towards the Ine Isu, Ine Mbah and Ine Ikot Itie Udung fishing settlements.

One of the suspects, identified as 27-year-old Kingsley Effiong John, was allegedly found with 20 grams of cocaine concealed inside a large wrap of fufu, alongside 435 grams of skunk.

Two other suspects, Etima Effiong Eekpo, 29, and Otobong Eyoh Etukudoh, 33, were allegedly found with quantities of skunk.

The NDLEA said a combined 42.622 kilograms of narcotics was recovered from the three suspects.

The agency also announced what it described as its first seizure of illicit drugs shipped from Thailand through Nigeria’s maritime corridor.

Two containers carrying cannabis indica, commonly called Loud, were intercepted at the Apapa and Lekki ports in Lagos, with the agency placing their combined estimated street value at more than N4.4 billion.

At Apapa Port, the NDLEA said a container declared as carrying dry fish, rice, vehicle spare parts, soap and inverter batteries was jointly examined on August 21.

Operatives allegedly discovered 1,090.5 kilograms of Thai Loud packed inside 54 cartons containing more than 2,000 sachets.

At the Lekki Deep Sea Port, another container placed on an NDLEA watchlist was examined on August 19. The agency said four of seven pallets in the container contained 400 parcels weighing a total of 400 kilograms, while other pallets held A4 paper allegedly used to conceal the consignment.

The NDLEA said both containers originated from Laem Chabang Port in Thailand.

Other operations reported by the agency included the interception of 24,410 tramadol capsules being transported from Enugu to Abuja, the destruction of a four-hectare cannabis farm in Ondo State and arrests involving suspected drug consignments in Oyo, Kwara, Kano, Abia and Lagos states.

In Oyo State, a 65-year-old woman was arrested in Ibadan with substances the agency identified as Loud, tramadol, codeine syrup, diazepam and flunitrazepam.

Marwa commended the commands involved in the operations and urged officers to sustain what he described as the agency’s balanced approach to drug control.

The suspects named by the NDLEA are accused persons. The allegations against them have not been established by a court.