NDLEA Re-Arrests 83-Year-Old Woman for Alleged Drug Offence in Abia

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has re-arrested an 83-year-old woman in Abia State over alleged possession of illegal drugs, about a year after she was convicted of a similar offence.

The agency said Uloma Uchechi Sunday was arrested on October 7 after operatives found methamphetamine and cannabis on her. According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the drugs were strapped around her waist when she was apprehended in a village in southeastern Nigeria.

Babafemi said the arrest followed a tip-off. The agency reported recovering two grammes of cannabis and seven grammes of methamphetamine from the suspect.

“At 83, most grandmothers are asking for rest. Not Mrs Uloma Uchechi Sunday, who was arrested again… barely a year after she was nabbed, prosecuted and convicted for the same offence,” Babafemi said in a statement.

The NDLEA spokesperson further alleged that Sunday had returned to drug-related activities after her previous conviction and had established a drug joint where, according to him, she accommodated people involved in criminal activities.

Sunday was first arrested and convicted last year alongside her 32-year-old daughter. The earlier case involved possession of methamphetamine, tramadol, fresh cannabis leaves and synthetic cannabis, according to the agency.

She reportedly pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year in prison or an alternative fine of ₦200,000. She paid the fine and was released, the report said.

The latest arrest comes amid broader concerns about drug trafficking and local drug consumption in Nigeria. A 2024 report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime noted that heroin and methamphetamine from Asia pass through West Africa along trafficking routes connecting eastern and southern Africa to Europe. Researchers and healthcare workers have also warned that drugs trafficked through the region can reach local markets.