Illicit Drugs: NDLEA arrests Centenarian in Ogun

 

Eniola Yekini

A 101-year-old great-grandmother has been arrested for dealing in illicit drugs.

The woman, identified as Esther Ogunmabo, was arrested in Ilisan, Ogun State, with retail sachets of skunk, a strain of cannabis, weighing 90 grammes, which she claimed she sold to locals.

The operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) confirmed the arrest in a statement on Sunday by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi.

The NDLEA said the great-grandma told operatives that she started engaging in the illicit drug trade after her provisions shop was razed by fire.

He noted that the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), directed that the suspect be granted bail and placed on counselling because of her advanced age, while her daughter had been arrested.

The statement read, “Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have recorded significant breakthroughs across the country’s land and maritime borders, including the arrest of a 101-year-old great-grandmother for dealing in illicit drugs.

“NDLEA operatives on Saturday, August 15, 2026, arrested a 101-year-old woman, Esther Ogunmabo, in Ilisan, Ogun State, with retail sachets of skunk, a strain of cannabis, weighing 90 grams, which she claims she sells to locals.

“The centenarian told operatives that she resorted to the illicit drug trade after her provisions shop was razed by fire, adding that one of her daughters, who resides in Lagos, arranges the supply of the substance to her every four days, which she in turn sells in bits.”