NDLEA arrests two elderly men over alleged sale of illicit drugs to Abia students

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two elderly men, aged 84 and 75, over their alleged involvement in supplying illicit drugs to teenage secondary school students in Umuahia, Abia State.

The suspects were identified as Godfrey Orji, 84, a pensioner, and Godwin Obulunbiya Obiora, 75, a patent medicine dealer. The NDLEA said the arrests followed separate operations based on intelligence concerning the distribution of illicit substances to students and other users.

According to the NDLEA, Obiora was arrested on June 19, 2026, following intelligence that he was selling illicit substances from his patent medicine store at 4 Club Road, Umuahia.

A search of the premises reportedly resulted in the recovery of 4.64 kilogrammes of opioids, including tramadol and diazepam.

The agency said the suspect was allegedly supplying the substances to young students as well as other users.

In a separate incident, Orji was arrested on June 18 after security guards at Saint Silas Secondary School, Old Umuahia, allegedly caught him supplying illicit drugs to two teenage students.

The guards handed the suspect and the students over to the police, who subsequently transferred the case to the NDLEA.

The agency said one of the students, a 15-year-old SS2 pupil, told investigators that Orji supplied him with drugs, which he consumed and also sold to other students.

The students involved have been placed under counselling and rehabilitation, according to the NDLEA.

The NDLEA said both elderly suspects remain in its custody and are expected to face prosecution.

The arrests have drawn attention to the accessibility of illicit and controlled substances around school environments, particularly the involvement of informal drug distribution channels.

The agency said the arrests formed part of its broader nationwide operations against drug trafficking and abuse.

Authorities have continued to urge schools, parents and communities to cooperate with law enforcement agencies in identifying and disrupting the supply of illicit substances to young people.