Nonagenarian Arrested for Drug Trafficking

Michael Olugbode

A 96-year-old retired military officer, Pa Joseph Owherhi, who is married to eight women with 50 children and many grandchildren, has been arrested in Suleja area of Niger State by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for allegedly dealing in illicit drugs.

According to a statement issued yesterday by the spokesman of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, the nonagenarian was arrested in his house at Rafin Sanyi area of Suleja on August 21, 2021, with three kilogrammes of skunk based on credible intelligence.

He said Owherhi, in his statement, confessed that he had been living on the illicit trade since he retired from the military in 1982. Babafemi said the ex-soldier also claimed he has eight wives and 50 children.

In another development, four trans-border drug traffickers have been arrested in Adamawa State while attempting to cross the Nigerian land border with Cameroon on motorcycle in Kolere village, Mubi North Local Government Area on August 22 with packs of Tramadol concealed in noodles cartons.

The suspects, according to the spokesman, are Ibrahim Aliyu, Umar Mohammed, Aliyu Adamu, and Usman Adamu.

Also, he said narcotic officers had during a raid the previous day arrested a drug dealer, Chimezie Okorie, at Layin ‘Yan Gwanjo, Mubi market, where assorted drugs such as tramadol and diazepam injection were recovered from him.

In Oyo State, a 35-year-old fashion designer, Abiodun Abubakar, was on August 23 arrested at Bodija market in Ibadan with 24.2 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa.

Babafemi disclosed also that in Lagos, coordinated sting operations across the state, especially Itedo community in Lekki and Petti on Lagos Island led to the arrest of 13 suspects namely: Eze Beckee, Lateef Habib, Olayemi Temitope, Abdullaziz Sheriff, Yakwan Michael, Nora Omoruyi, Hamson Igbokwe,Ugwu Augustine, Akin Lawanson, Ibrahim Isa, Emeka Nwafor, Obi Price, and Daniel Chukwuebuka, with a total of 238 kilogrammes of cannabis and two grammes of cocaine recovered from them.

According to him, in Kogi State, one Chizoba Francis was also arrested at the weekend in Lokoja with 54 kilogrammes cannabis hidden in sacks and covered with used foot wears.

He said the consignment was bought at Emure, Ondo State with Kaduna as its destination.

The spokesman said in another clampdown in Ondo State, operatives equally recovered 308 kilogrammes of compressed cannabis loaded in a Lexus car during a sting operation in Eleyewo area of Akure North LGA last weekend.

Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), while commending the officers and men of Niger, Adamawa, Lagos, Ondo, Kogi and Oyo State Commands of the agency for their relentless efforts, charged them and their counterparts across the country not to rest on their oars in the ongoing offensive action against all drug cartels in the country.