The arrest of a 101-year-old woman in Ogun State has drawn attention to the unusual circumstances surrounding a drug-trafficking operation, after the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency found her allegedly selling small sachets of cannabis to people in her community.
The woman, identified as Esther Ogunmabo, was arrested by NDLEA operatives on Saturday, August 15, 2026, in Ilisan, Ogun State, with 90 grammes of skunk, a strain of cannabis, packaged in retail sachets.
According to the NDLEA, Ogunmabo told investigators that she had turned to the illicit trade after the fire that destroyed her provisions shop, leaving her without the business that previously provided her livelihood.
The agency said the centenarian also disclosed that one of her daughters, who lives in Lagos, allegedly arranged for the supply of the cannabis to her every four days, after which she sold it in smaller quantities to people in the area.
The revelation has introduced another dimension to the case, with investigators now looking beyond the elderly suspect to the alleged supply chain behind the drugs.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), however, directed that Ogunmabo should be granted bail and placed under counselling because of her advanced age.
The agency also said the woman’s daughter had been arrested in connection with the investigation, although the specific allegations against her remain subject to further investigation.
The case was disclosed as part of a wider series of operations carried out by the NDLEA across several states and Nigeria’s maritime borders.
In Akwa Ibom, operatives intercepted a wooden boat allegedly transporting illicit drugs towards fishing settlements in Cameroon. Three suspects Etima Effiong Eekpo, 29; Otobong Eyoh Etukudoh, 33; and Kingsley Effiong John, 27 were arrested, with a combined 42.622kg of narcotics recovered.
The agency also reported its first seizure of illicit drugs shipped from Thailand through Nigeria’s maritime corridor. Two containers intercepted at Apapa and Lekki ports contained a combined 1,490.5kg of cannabis indica, known as Loud, with the NDLEA putting the street value at more than N4.4bn.
Other operations included the interception of 24,410 tramadol capsules in the Federal Capital Territory, the destruction of 10,000kg of cannabis cultivated across four hectares in Ondo State and several arrests and drug recoveries in Kano, Lagos, Abia and other locations.
While Ogunmabo’s case stands out because of her age, the NDLEA said the arrests and seizures formed part of its broader campaign against drug trafficking and distribution across the country.
For the 101-year-old suspect, the immediate focus has shifted from prosecution to counselling and determining the wider circumstances surrounding the supply of the drugs, particularly the alleged role of her daughter in obtaining the substance.