The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested an 85-year-old woman, Grace Ehimeka, popularly known as Mama Grace, with 179kg of cannabis in Edo State.
The Edo State NDLEA Commander, Mitchell Ofoyeju, disclosed this in a statement issued in Benin City on Monday, saying Ehimeka was arrested alongside five other suspected drug traffickers during coordinated raids across communities in Owan East Local Government Area and other parts of the state.
According to him, the operations led to the seizure of 407.39kg of cannabis, 546g of loud, 114g of tramadol, 4g of diazepam and 3g of Swinol.
The other suspects were identified as Ali Garba, 57; Habib Braimoh, 45; Musa Mubid, 35; Ayo Aigberadion, 53; and Hope Okoro, 35. They were arrested in Warake, Ivbiaro, Ewe Uzeba and other communities following intelligence reports.
Ofoyeju warned that age would not exempt anyone from prosecution for drug-related offences, adding that the command remained committed to combating illicit drug trafficking and abuse in the state.
“The NDLEA Act is clear: you cannot hide under the canopy of old age and perpetrate acts that violate the law. The octogenarian, Grace Ehimeka, was apprehended on October 16, 2026, in her house at Warake community. This is a bad example for her children and grandchildren,” he said.
In her statement to the agency, Ehimeka reportedly admitted ownership of the drugs and appealed for forgiveness.
“I am a widow and started selling cannabis over two years ago just to survive. My family members have warned me to stop, but I kept postponing my decision to stop. Officers, if you give me another chance, I will never sell cannabis again,” she reportedly pleaded.
In a related operation in Ivbiaro community on 15 October, NDLEA operatives arrested Garba with 5.85kg of cannabis, while Braimoh was apprehended the same day with 100g of the substance.
Mubid was arrested in Warake with 2kg of cannabis, 309g of cannabis seeds, 114g of loud and 135g of assorted pharmaceutical drugs, including tramadol, Swinol and diazepam.
Similarly, Aigberadion was arrested in Ewe/Irue, Owan East Local Government Area, on 16 October with 220.8kg of cannabis.
Okoro was also apprehended in Auchi, Edo State, with 237g of loud, according to the statement.
Ofoyeju said the arrests and seizures formed part of the agency’s renewed efforts to curb drug trafficking and substance abuse.
He urged members of the public to provide timely and credible information to support the fight against illicit drugs across the state.
