By Joy Onu
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested an 85-year-old widow and five other suspects in coordinated raids across communities in Edo State, recovering 407.39 kilogrammes of cannabis and other illicit substances.
The Edo State Commander of the agency, Mitchell Ofoyeju, announced the arrests in a statement on Monday in Benin, warning that old age would not exempt anyone from prosecution for drug-related offences.
The octogenarian, Grace Ehimeka, popularly known as Mama Grace, was arrested at her residence in Warake community, Owan East Local Government Area, on October 16, 2026, with 15 bags of cannabis weighing 179 kilogrammes.
Ofoyeju said the operations, conducted on the basis of credible intelligence, covered Warake, Ivbiaro and Ewe-Uzeba communities.
“You cannot hide under the canopy of old age and perpetrate acts that violate the law,” he said, describing the woman’s alleged involvement in drug trafficking as a bad example for her children and grandchildren.
According to the Commander, operatives arrested 57-year-old Ali Garba in Ivbiaro on October 15 with 5.85 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa, while 45-year-old Habib Braimoh was apprehended in the same community that day with 100 grammes.
In Warake, 35-year-old Musa Mubid was arrested with two kilogrammes of cannabis, 309 grammes of cannabis seeds, 114 grammes of loud and 135 grammes of pharmaceutical drugs, including tramadol, swinol and diazepam.
On October 16, operatives arrested 53-year-old Ayo Aigberadion in Ewe/Irue, Owan East, with 220.8 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa.
Another suspect, 35-year-old Hope Okoro, an indigene of Ndokwa West Local Government Area of Delta State, was arrested in Auchi with 237 grammes of loud.
Other recoveries from the operations included 546 grammes of loud, 114 grammes of tramadol, four grammes of diazepam and three grammes of swinol.
Mama Grace, who reportedly admitted ownership of the drugs, attributed her involvement to financial hardship, saying she had sold cannabis for more than two years following the death of her husband.
“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 pleaded.
Ofoyeju reaffirmed the command’s commitment to combating illicit drug trafficking in Edo State and urged residents to provide timely information to support enforcement operations.
