Barely three years after serving a jail term for drug trafficking, a 80-year-old ex-convict, Jeremiah Isaiah Nkanta, has been rearrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for allegedly returning to the illicit drug trade.
Nkanta, described as a notorious drug dealer, was first arrested by the NDLEA on December 14, 2022, prosecuted, and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment by a Federal High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. Following fresh intelligence, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, January 10, 2025, tracked him to Mmanta – Abak village in Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, where he was arrested with 5.7 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis, recovered from his residence.
In a separate operation in Akwa Ibom State, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Oron-Ibaka Road in Oron LGA on Friday, January 9, intercepted a 37-year-old businessman, Ani Onyebuchi Romans, who was travelling with full-body mannequins purportedly for his clothing business in Cameroon. A search revealed that the mannequins were stuffed with tramadol pills weighing 5.3 kilograms.
The suspect, who claimed to be resident in Cameroon, was reportedly returning after the Christmas and New Year holidays. Investigations revealed that he purchased the drugs in Onitsha, Anambra State, and concealed them in two mannequins for onward trafficking to Cameroon.
In Oyo State, NDLEA raids across multiple locations led to the arrest of several suspected drug dealers and the seizure of dangerous substances. Among those arrested was 45-year-old Remi Bamidele, popularly known as “Aluko the Mafia,” who was apprehended at Sasa, Ibadan, on Thursday, January 8. A total of 10.696 kilograms of Colorado, Scottish Loud, Ghana Loud, Canadian Loud, and skunk – various strains of cannabis – were recovered from him, alongside two vehicles: a Toyota Venza and a Toyota Yaris with registration number HG 06 LYD.
Also in Ibadan, Adeola Toheeb, 27, was arrested at the Adegbayi area on Friday, January 9, with quantities of Colorado, Ghana Loud, and skunk. Habeeb Ali, 29, was arrested at Ring Road on Saturday, January 10, with 1.264 kilograms of Colorado, Scottish Loud, and skunk. A cash exhibit of ₦1,307,100 was also recovered from him.
In Edo State, a dispatch rider, Osagbovo Edigin, 30, alongside Ebimi Labo, 28, and Akhimie Success, 25, was arrested on Friday, January 9, at Ihama/Airport Road GRA, Benin City, following the seizure of 118 grams of Canadian Loud and a wrap of Colorado.
Further arrests in Edo led to the apprehension of Jimoh Agbonmhegbe, 49, at Irrua with 17.552 kilograms of Colorado, Loud, and skunk, while Evelyn Okoyomon, 38, was arrested at Ubiaja with 930 grams of skunk on Wednesday, January 7.
In Niger State, NDLEA operatives recovered 4,000 pills of tramadol (225mg) from a 22-year-old suspect, Nazifi Umar, at Dakwa town in Tafa LGA. In Taraba State, Yusuf Usman, 41, was arrested at Lankaviri in Yorro LGA with 100 blocks of skunk weighing 47 kilograms.
Similarly, in Adamawa State, NDLEA officers recovered 30,950 capsules of tramadol from the residence of Ugwoke Chibueze, 40, in the Bachure area of Yola South LGA. The recovery followed his arrest at the Lamido Aliyu Mustapha International Airport, Yola, on Tuesday, January 6.
Meanwhile, NDLEA commands across the country sustained their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns during the week. Activities included lectures at Government Day Science and Technical College, Babura, Jigawa State; Abiayubal Ansari Islamiyya School, Fagge LGA, Kano State; and community outreach to youths in Oshituma Umuogudu Akpu Ngbo, Ebonyi State, among others.
Commending the officers and men of the Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, Taraba, Edo, Oyo, and Niger Commands, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised their operational successes. He noted that the agency’s balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts across the country remains commendable and effective.
Femi Babafemi
Director, Media & Advocacy
NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja
Sunday, January 11, 2026
