NDLEA Arrests Two Elderly Men for Supplying Drugs to Abia Schoolchildren

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested two men aged 84 and 75 in separate operations in Umuahia, Abia State, on allegations of distributing prescription drugs and other controlled substances to teenage secondary school students. The suspects, identified as Godfrei Orji and Godwin Obulunbiya Obiora, were detained following intelligence reports of illicit drug sales to minors operating from patent medicine stores in the Umuahia area.

The NDLEA's Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, confirmed that Obiora's arrest occurred on June 19 after investigators received credible reports of drug distribution at a location on Club Road. The subsequent search of premises linked to the operation led to the recovery of controlled opioids, including tramadol and diazepam.

Sources report conflicting seizure amounts, with one account indicating 4.64 kilograms recovered and another citing 64 kilograms, though the exact quantity remains unclear from available reports. One of the suspects was apprehended following a separate incident at Saint Sila Secondary School in Umuahia, where school security personnel detained him while allegedly conducting a transaction with students.

The case was subsequently handed over to NDLEA agents for further investigation and processing. According to the agency, the operation forms part of its broader nationwide effort targeting drug trafficking networks and the distribution of controlled substances to vulnerable populations.

Both elderly men are currently in NDLEA custody as investigations continue. The agency identified the suspects' use of patent medicine outlets as fronts for distributing illicit substances to young people in secondary school.