The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested an 80-year-old former convict, Jeremiah Isaiah Nkanta, after uncovering illicit drugs concealed in full-body mannequins and seizing large quantities of narcotics in coordinated raids across several states.

Nkanta, who was previously arrested in December 2022, prosecuted, and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for drug trafficking, was apprehended again on Saturday, 10 January 2025, following credible intelligence. NDLEA operatives traced him to his residence in Mmanta-Abak village, Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, where 5.7 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis, were recovered.

In a related operation in Akwa Ibom State, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Oron–Ibaka Road in Oron Local Government Area intercepted a 37-year-old businessman, Ani Onyebuchi Romans, on Friday, 9 January. Romans was travelling with full-body mannequins intended for his clothing business in Cameroon. A search revealed that the mannequins were stuffed with 5.3 kilograms of tramadol pills. The suspect reportedly purchased the drugs in Onitsha, Anambra State, and was attempting to smuggle them into Cameroon.

In Oyo State, NDLEA operatives conducted raids across Ibadan, arresting several suspected drug dealers and seizing various illicit substances. Among those arrested was 45-year-old Remi Bamidele, also known as “Aluko the Mafia,” who was apprehended at Sasa with 10.696 kilograms of different cannabis strains. Two vehicles were recovered from him. Other arrests in the state led to the seizure of assorted drugs and over N1.3 million in cash exhibits.

In Edo State, a dispatch rider, Osagbovo Edigin, alongside two others, was arrested in Benin City in connection with the seizure of Canadian Loud and Colorado. Additional arrests in the state led to the recovery of large quantities of cannabis in Irrua and Ubiaja.

NDLEA operatives also recorded significant seizures in Niger, Taraba, and Adamawa States. In Niger State, 4,000 tramadol pills were recovered in Tafa Local Government Area. In Taraba State, a suspect was arrested with 47 kilograms of skunk, while in Adamawa State, over 30,000 capsules of tramadol were recovered following the arrest of a suspect at the Yola International Airport.

Meanwhile, the agency said its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns continued nationwide, targeting schools, religious centres, workplaces, and communities.

Commending the efforts of NDLEA commands involved in the operations, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the officers for their sustained enforcement actions and balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction across the country.