An 83-year-old woman, Uloma Uchechi Sunday, has been arrested for the second time by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) after suspected methamphetamine and Colorado were allegedly found concealed around her waist at her home in Abia State.
The woman was arrested on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at her residence in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State, following intelligence that she allegedly operated a drug joint frequented by people suspected of criminal activities.
The NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said in a statement on Sunday that Sunday was first arrested on May 17, 2025, alongside her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi, at the same residence.
Babafemi said operatives recovered 50 grammes of methamphetamine, 522 grammes of skunk, 260 grammes of fresh cannabis leaves and 12 grammes of tramadol during the first operation.
He added that the mother and daughter pleaded guilty and were each sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, with an option of a ₦200,000 fine. They paid the fines and were released.
Babafemi said the latest arrest was among several drug-related operations carried out by the agency across the country. At the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Rivers State, operatives working with the Nigeria Customs Service arrested a South African woman, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, with 32.74 kilogrammes of cannabis, known as Thai Loud, concealed in two travelling bags.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, operatives intercepted 354,000 tablets of tapentadol weighing 307.20 kilogrammes in a shipment from Pakistan and 75.90 kilogrammes of Colorado in cargo from the United Kingdom.
He said other operations led to the seizure of large quantities of cannabis and pharmaceutical drugs in Cross River, Edo, Ondo, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna and Lagos states. In Plateau State, operatives recovered two pump-action rifles, a locally made gun and ammunition during a raid on the residence of a 45-year-old suspect, Christian Chukwudi Uju, at Rukuba Road, Jos.
According to Babafemi, NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended the officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain a balanced approach to drug supply reduction and demand reduction efforts.
