An 83-year-old grandmother convicted in a drug-related case is among the unusual details in a recent report by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), which also documents arrests and drug seizures across Nigeria.
The report, published on 11 October 2026, highlights several enforcement operations involving different substances and suspects, including a South African woman arrested in connection with a cannabis shipment.
The cases form part of the agency’s continuing efforts to disrupt drug trafficking and the distribution of illicit substances in the country.
Among the operations detailed in the report was the interception of 354,000 tablets of tapentadol at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. The shipment, weighing 307.20 kilogrammes, reportedly arrived from Pakistan aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight.
According to the NDLEA, officers placed the consignment under surveillance before a joint examination uncovered nine cartons containing the tablets, labelled as tapentadol 250 mg.
Tapentadol is a prescription opioid used to manage certain types of moderate to severe pain. It can cause serious side effects, including dangerously slowed breathing, and carries a risk of dependence and misuse. Its use requires appropriate medical supervision.
The agency also reported the recovery of 75.90 kilogrammes of Colorado, a synthetic cannabinoid, from six travel bags in a cargo shipment from the United Kingdom.
In a separate operation at Port Harcourt International Airport, officers arrested a South African woman who allegedly arrived from Thailand via Doha with 32.74 kilogrammes of cannabis concealed in two travel bags.
Other seizures involving cannabis, methamphetamine, tramadol and additional substances were reported in several states, including Edo, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna, Cross River, Ondo and Plateau.
The cases highlight the range of substances involved in drug enforcement operations and the importance of preventing the diversion and misuse of controlled medicines.
The NDLEA’s report does not establish a connection between the 83-year-old grandmother’s case and the separate tapentadol shipment. Each case should therefore be understood on its own terms.
Source: NDLEA
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