Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 46-year-old woman, Omolade Abigail Jolayemi, popularly known as “Iya Ghana,” over her alleged role in a drug distribution network in Lagos.
The agency disclosed the development in a statement issued on Sunday by its spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, noting that the arrest is part of ongoing efforts to dismantle drug trafficking operations within and beyond Nigeria.
Jolayemi was apprehended during a raid carried out by a Special Operations Unit at her residence on Carter Street, Yaba, where she was arrested alongside her sales assistant, 31-year-old Sarah Zainab Agbabiaka. According to the NDLEA, Jolayemi, who outwardly trades in local fabrics, allegedly operates a drug distribution network linking Nigeria and Ghana.
During the operation, officers recovered 135 blocks of “Ghana Loud,” a strain of cannabis, weighing 76.30 kilograms.
The agency also reported a series of arrests and seizures across the country within the same period. In Lagos, operatives intercepted cocaine concealed in heads of imported dry fish, popularly known as “Okporoko,” leading to the arrest of 36-year-old Akputa Dickson Ejike. A total of 237 wraps of cocaine weighing 5.80 kilograms were recovered, with the consignment reportedly bound for Delhi, India.
Another suspect, Anayo Lucky Ohabiro, was arrested at Doyin bus stop in Surulere with 78 blocks of cannabis weighing 41 kilograms.
In Ekiti State, NDLEA operatives arrested an 80-year-old suspect, Oke Samuel, during a raid at a drug camp along Erinmo Road in Efon-Alaaye, recovering 2.2 kilograms of skunk and small quantities of methamphetamine.
Similarly, in Ondo State, operatives raided an uncompleted building in Ogbese, Akure North, where 894.72 kilograms of cannabis were seized from a suspect identified as Enuwa Kehinde Kingsley.
In Benue State, a 35-year-old suspect, Saater Nyam, was arrested at Pevi village in Guma Local Government Area with 116.7 kilograms of skunk.
In Edo State, operatives uncovered a warehouse in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area, leading to the arrest of 25-year-old Felix Donald and the seizure of 576.5 kilograms of cannabis as well as 33 bottles of codeine-based syrup.
In Taraba State, officers intercepted a truck transporting 100 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 135 kilograms concealed in bags of animal feed. Two suspects, Osama Mamuda and Auwal Umar, were arrested in connection with the seizure.
The NDLEA said it has also intensified surveillance at major international airports, recording significant interceptions involving narcotics concealed in luggage or ingested by passengers.
According to the agency, two suspected traffickers were recently arrested at Lagos and Port Harcourt airports after ingesting a combined total of 125 wraps of heroin during separate smuggling attempts. One suspect was apprehended on arrival from Doha in Port Harcourt, while the other was arrested in Lagos after arriving from Madagascar via Addis Ababa. Both later expelled the illicit substances, which were recovered by operatives.
The agency reiterated its commitment to sustaining operations aimed at disrupting drug trafficking networks and curbing the flow of illicit substances across the country.
