The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested 93-year-old Pa Friday Ahukanna Chigbu in Abia State during a major drug operation. Agents recovered 7.7 kilogrammes of skunk from his residence. Chigbu admitted to selling drugs for over a year and using them for decades. In Ogun State, a 69-year-old medical doctor, Dr. Chudi Daniel Ofomata, was arrested as a local collaborator in a drug syndicate. Controlled substances were seized from him. An Ivorian national, Gohouri Michael, was apprehended at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport with 1.49 kilogrammes of cocaine. Three suspects were arrested in Ogun State with 34 kilogrammes of skunk. In Imo State, a woman was arrested with 56.2 kilogrammes. A couple was detained in Niger State after 118 kilogrammes were found in their home. In Borno State, a trailer was intercepted carrying 42,290 tablets of Rohypnol and thousands of bottles of codeine syrup. In Lagos, a luxury bus and a truck transporting cannabis and codeine syrup were seized, leading to multiple arrests. Eight suspects were arrested in a raid on a known drug spot in Abuja. In Edo State, two trucks concealed over 7,200 kilogrammes of skunk in beer cartons. NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi confirmed the operations. Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), NDLEA Chairman, praised the agency's efforts in curbing drug supply and demand.
The arrest of a 93-year-old man in Abia State for drug trafficking challenges assumptions about who participates in Nigeria's narcotics trade. Pa Friday Ahukanna Chigbu's involvement, coupled with his claim of decades-long drug use, suggests that the culture of substance abuse and trafficking has seeped into demographics previously considered insulated. This is not just a law enforcement issue but a generational one—where age no longer serves as a barrier to criminal enterprise.
The presence of a medical doctor, Dr. Chudi Daniel Ofomata, in the same network exposes a dangerous breach of professional ethics. A licensed physician allegedly facilitating drug distribution undermines public trust in healthcare institutions. Combined with the massive 7,200-kilogramme seizure in Edo State, the scale points to highly organised networks exploiting weak regulatory oversight. The concealment of drugs in beer cartons also reveals the ingenuity of smuggling tactics, which continue to outpace detection methods.
Ordinary Nigerians bear the cost through rising addiction rates, especially among youth, and the diversion of medical substances like codeine for illicit use. Communities in Edo, Lagos, and Borno are increasingly becoming transit or consumption hubs, destabilising social order. The NDLEA's seizures may disrupt supply temporarily, but the recurrence of large-scale operations suggests systemic vulnerabilities remain unaddressed.
