NDLEA Busts Elderly Drug Ring in Umuahia, Arrests Two Men, 84 and 75, for Allegedly Supplying Students with Illicit Drugs

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested two elderly men, aged 84 and 75, for allegedly supplying and selling illicit drugs to teenage secondary school students in Umuahia, the Abia State capital.

The suspects, identified as 84-year-old Godfrey Orji and 75-year-old Godwin Obulunbiya Obiora, were apprehended in separate operations following intelligence-driven investigations by the anti-narcotics agency.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, Obiora was arrested on June 19 after credible intelligence revealed that he was allegedly selling illicit substances to students and other users from his patent medicine store located at 4 Club Road, Umuahia.

A search of the premises led to the recovery of 4.64 kilograms of opioids, including tramadol and diazepam.

In a separate incident, Orji, a pensioner, was arrested after he was allegedly caught supplying illicit drugs to two teenage students of Saint Silas Secondary School, Old Umuahia. He was initially apprehended by the school’s security guards and handed over to the police before being transferred to the NDLEA on June 18.

The agency disclosed that one of the teenagers, a 15-year-old Senior Secondary School Two (SS2) student, admitted during interrogation that Orji had been supplying him with drugs, which he not only consumed but also sold to fellow students.

The NDLEA said both elderly suspects would be prosecuted in accordance with the law, while the affected students have been enrolled in counselling and rehabilitation programmes as part of efforts to address substance abuse among young people.