The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two elderly men, aged 84 and 75, for allegedly supplying and selling illicit drugs to secondary school students in Umuahia, Abia State.

The suspects, identified as Godfrey Orji, 84, and Godwin Obulunbiya Obiora, 75, were apprehended in separate operations carried out by NDLEA operatives.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, Obiora was arrested on June 19 after intelligence reports linked him to the sale of illicit substances from his patent medicine store.

Babafemi said NDLEA operatives acted on credible information indicating that the suspect was supplying drugs to students and other users from his shop located at 4 Club Road, Umuahia.

A search of the premises led to the recovery of 4.64 kilograms of opioids, including tramadol and diazepam.

“Pa Obiora was arrested by NDLEA operatives on Friday, 19th June 2026, following credible intelligence that he was selling illicit substances to young students and others in his patent medicine store,” Babafemi stated.

In a separate operation, Orji, a pensioner, was arrested for allegedly supplying illicit drugs to students of Saint Silas Secondary School in Old Umuahia.

According to the NDLEA, the suspect was initially apprehended by school security personnel after allegedly supplying drugs to two teenage students. He was later handed over to the police before being transferred to the agency on June 18.

Babafemi disclosed that one of the students, a 15-year-old Senior Secondary School Two student, admitted during questioning that Orji regularly supplied him with drugs.

The student also claimed he consumed some of the substances and sold others to fellow students.

While the two elderly suspects are expected to face prosecution, the NDLEA said the affected students have been enrolled in counselling and rehabilitation programmes.

Beyond the Abia arrests, the agency announced several other major operations and drug seizures across different parts of the country.

In Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted a 9.5-kilogram consignment of ADB-Chminaca, a synthetic cannabinoid classified as a dangerous psychoactive substance. The shipment, which originated from China, was concealed in a carton and intercepted at a courier company.

Another operation conducted on June 16 led to the seizure of 300 grams of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, hidden inside women's handbags at a logistics company in Lagos.

The agency also raided the residence of a wanted drug suspect, Lukman Badmus, popularly known as Lukman Ogombo, in the Ogombo area of Ajah, Lagos.

During the operation, officers recovered nine bottles of codeine syrup and 30 grams of skunk from the residence.

A follow-up raid at a shop owned by the suspect’s wife, Aisha Saraki, on Lagos Island resulted in additional recoveries, including two more bottles of codeine, drug paraphernalia, and 42 compressed blocks of skunk weighing 22.5 kilograms concealed inside a mini-bus parked outside the shop.

Babafemi said operatives also prevented an attempt by Saraki to dispose of some of the drug exhibits during the operation.

In Kogi State, NDLEA officers intercepted a 33-year-old suspect, Tochukwu Onah, along the Okene-Lokoja Highway with 1.030 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden inside custard containers while travelling from Lagos to Abuja.

The agency also confirmed the arrest of two suspects, James Tony Chukwudi, 48, and James Kehinde, 35, who had been declared wanted in connection with the seizure of 117 kilograms of skunk in Ekiti State earlier this year.

In Oyo State, operatives arrested a 75-year-old suspect, Tudun Olubiyi, alongside Nasiru Buhari, 22, and Buba Musa, 47, during a raid on a residence in the Dangote area of Elekara, Oyo Town.

The operation led to the recovery of 118 jumbo bags containing 1,416 kilograms of skunk concealed beneath sawdust.

Meanwhile, in Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided cannabis farms located in Khagba Forest, Ikao, in Owan East Local Government Area, where 1,744.075 kilograms of cannabis were destroyed and an additional 169 kilograms of processed cannabis recovered.

Another operation at Ebora Camp, Ilushi, in Esan South Local Government Area led to the destruction of 2,424.945 kilograms of cannabis, while a suspect, Augustine Anyamone, 45, was arrested with 395 kilograms of skunk.

Commending the officers involved in the various operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised commands in Abia, Lagos, Kogi, Ekiti, Oyo and Edo states for their efforts.

Marwa said the successes recorded in drug supply reduction were being complemented by the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse awareness campaign and urged officers across the country to remain committed to the fight against drug trafficking and substance abuse.