NDLEA Nabs 80-Year-Old Ex-Convict, 82-Year-Old Grandma in Nationwide Drug Raids

NDLEA Nabs 80-Year-Old Ex-Convict, 82-Year-Old Grandma in Nationwide Drug Raids

In a nationwide crackdown, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two octogenarians—80-year-old ex-convict Ayuba Ashiru and 82-year-old grandmother Mrs. Uloma Uchechi Sunday—alongside her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi, for their involvement in the illicit drug trade.

According to a statement released by the agency’s Director of Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, May 18, 2025, the arrests were made during coordinated operations across different states.

Ashiru, previously convicted for drug-related offenses and sentenced to a 10-year jail term from 2014 to 2024, was re-arrested on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in the Barazana Street, Dogarawa area of Sabon Gari LGA, Kaduna State. NDLEA operatives, acting on credible intelligence, recovered 2.3 kilograms of skunk—packaged in nylons and paper in retail sizes—from his residence. The veteran drug dealer admitted to being in the illegal trade for over 46 years.

Meanwhile, in Abia State, NDLEA officers raided the home of Mrs. Uloma Uchechi Sunday in Umuaguma Ntigha Uzor village on Saturday, May 17. The operation led to the seizure of various quantities of methamphetamine, tramadol, skunk (a strain of cannabis), and N130,600 in cash. Mrs. Sunday confessed that she and her daughter, Chisom, inherited the business following the death of her son, who had been the original operator.

The arrests underscore the agency’s ongoing efforts to dismantle drug networks, regardless of age or status.