NDLEA Arrests 80-Year-Old Ex-Convict, Uncovers Illicit Drugs Hidden in Full-Body Mannequins

…As operatives bust major illicit drug hideouts across six states
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have once again arrested an 80-year-old man, Jeremiah Isaiah Nkanta, for involvement in illicit drug trafficking.
Nkanta’s arrest comes barely three years after he was first apprehended, prosecuted, and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for drug-related offences.

He was initially arrested by the NDLEA on December 14, 2022, and subsequently convicted by a Federal High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
This development was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
According to Babafemi, the octogenarian returned to the illegal drug trade after serving his jail term and was re-arrested following credible intelligence. NDLEA operatives tracked him to Mmanta–Abak village in Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State on Saturday, January 10, 2025, where he was apprehended with 5.7 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis, recovered from his residence.
Babafemi further revealed that in another successful operation in Akwa Ibom State, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Oron–Ibaka Road in Oron Local Government Area intercepted a 37-year-old businessman, Ani Onyebuchi Romans, on Friday, January 9, while he was travelling with full-body mannequins intended for his clothing business in Cameroon.
A search of the mannequins uncovered 5.3 kilograms of tramadol pills concealed inside them. The suspect, who claimed to reside in Cameroon, was reportedly returning there after the Christmas and New Year holidays. Investigations revealed that he purchased the drugs in Onitsha, Anambra State, and was trafficking them to Cameroon for sale, using two mannequins to hide the opioids.
In Oyo State, coordinated raids at various locations led to the arrest of several notorious drug dealers and the seizure of large quantities of illicit substances. Among those arrested was 45-year-old Remi Bamidele, popularly known as “Aluko the Mafia,” who was apprehended at Sasa, Ibadan, with a total of 10.696 kilograms of Colorado, Scottish Loud, Ghana Loud, Canadian Loud, and skunk—all cannabis variants. Two vehicles, a Toyota Venza and a Toyota Yaris with registration number HG 06 LYD, were also recovered from him during his arrest on Thursday, January 8.
Babafemi disclosed that NDLEA operatives also conducted a raid in the Adegbayi area of Ibadan on Friday, January 9, leading to the arrest of 27-year-old Adeola Toheeb with various quantities of Colorado, Ghana Loud, and skunk. Another suspect, Habeeb Ali, 29, was arrested at Ring Road, Ibadan, with 1.264 kilograms of Colorado, Scottish Loud, and skunk. A cash exhibit totaling ₦1,307,100 was recovered from him at the time of his arrest on Saturday, January 10.
In Edo State, a dispatch rider, Osagbovo Edigin, 30, along with two other suspects—Ebimi Labo, 28, and Akhimie Success, 25—were arrested on Friday, January 9, at Ihama/Airport Road GRA, Benin City. The arrests followed the seizure of 118 grams of Canadian Loud and a wrap of Colorado.
Also in Edo, a 49-year-old suspect, Jimoh Agbonmhegbe, was arrested in Irrua with 17.552 kilograms of Colorado, Loud, and skunk, while another suspect, Evelyn Okoyomon, 38, was apprehended in Ubiaja with 930 grams of skunk on Wednesday, January 7.
In Niger State, NDLEA operatives recovered no fewer than 4,000 pills of tramadol (225mg) from a 22-year-old suspect, Nazifi Umar, in Dakwa town, Tafa Local Government Area. Meanwhile, in Taraba State, Yusuf Usman, 41, was arrested in Lankaviri, Yorro Local Government Area, with 100 blocks of skunk weighing 47 kilograms on Wednesday, January 7.
In Adamawa State, a total of 30,950 capsules of tramadol were recovered from the residence of 40-year-old Ugwoke Chibueze in the Bachure area of Yola South Local Government Area, following his arrest at the Lamido Aliyu Mustapha International Airport, Yola, on Tuesday, January 6.
Babafemi added that NDLEA commands nationwide sustained their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns over the past week, reaching schools, worship centres, workplaces, and communities. These included lectures at Government Day Science and Technical College, Babura, Jigawa State; Abiayubal Ansari Islamiyya School, Layin Indo Mai Tuwan Tara, Fagge LGA, Kano State; and a sensitisation programme for youths in Oshituma Umuogudu Akpu Ngbo, Ebonyi State, among others.
While commending officers and men of the Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, Taraba, Edo, Oyo, and Niger State commands for their arrests and seizures, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), described their operational successes as commendable. He noted that the agency’s balanced approach to reducing both drug supply and demand across the country remains highly appreciated.