A 101-year-old great-grandmother has been arrested in Nigeria for allegedly dealing cannabis, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) announced.
Esther Ogunmabo was apprehended on Saturday in Ogun state in the south-west of the country. The centenarian was found with "retail sachets of skunk, a strain of cannabis weighing 90 grams, which she claims she sells to locals", according to Femi Babafemi, the agency's media director.
Alleged motive and family involvement
The gran allegedly turned to dealing for a source of income after her shop had been destroyed by fire. One of her daughters, who lives in Lagos, allegedly helped supply the drugs to her every four days. Ogunmabo is accused of then selling it on in smaller quantities to customers in her community.
Bail granted due to age
NDLEA chief executive Mohamed Marwa decided that the suspect be granted bail and given counselling because of her advanced age. This means she could still be charged for criminal activity. Her daughter has also been arrested, BBC reports.
Wider drug seizures
Ogunmabo's arrest came amid reports of significant drug seizures along Nigeria's maritime routes. In Akwa Ibom state, intelligence officers intercepted a wooden boat on the high seas last Friday, which was heading to Cameroon, and arrested three people on board. More than 42kg of narcotics were recovered from the suspects.
In what the agency described as a milestone, the NDLA also recorded its first-ever seizure of illicit drugs shipped from Thailand. Cannabis is widely cultivated in different parts of Nigeria, which is considered a key hub for drug trafficking, producing and consuming. Other drugs produced in the country are methamphetamine and codeine-containing cough syrups.
Earlier this month, a man and a woman were charged with international drugs trafficking offences as part of an investigation involving police in the UK and Nigeria. Oladipupo Atandare, 50, from Dagenham and Latifat Yusuf, 44, from Hornchurch were arrested following the seizure of more than 180kg (397lb) of cocaine in the UK on August 5. The Metropolitan Police said the arrests related to solely the UK drugs seizure, but there are also inquiries into the discovery of a similar-sized amount of cocaine in Nigeria.
