Abuja: The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended two grandfathers, aged 84 and 75, for allegedly distributing illicit drugs to teenage students in Umuahia, Abia. The arrests were made following investigations into drug activities targeting young students in the area.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi, disclosed in a statement that the first suspect was taken into custody on Friday. The arrest followed reliable intelligence indicating his involvement in selling illicit substances to students and others from his patent medicine store located at 4 Club Road, Umuahia. During a search of the premises, NDLEA operatives recovered 4.64kg of opioids, including tramadol and diazepam.
In a separate incident, the second suspect, a pensioner, was apprehended by security personnel at Saint Silas Secondary School, Old Umuahia. He was allegedly caught supplying illicit drugs to two teenage students within the school premises. The security guards subsequently handed the suspect and the students over to the police, who then transferred them to the NDLEA on June 18. One of the teenagers, a 15-year-old student, confessed that the 84-year-old grandfather was supplying him with drugs, which he consumed and sold to peers. Both grandfathers are scheduled for court appearances, while the students have been placed under counseling and rehabilitation programs.
In related developments, NDLEA operatives intercepted a shipment of ADB Chminaca, a synthetic cannabinoid categorized as a new psychoactive substance, at a courier firm in Lagos. The consignment, weighing 9.5 kg, was concealed in a carton and originated from China. Additionally, on June 16, another seizure occurred at a different logistics company in Lagos, where 300g of Loud, a potent cannabis strain, was found hidden in ladies’ handbags.