85-Year-Old Widow Arrested With 179kg Cannabis in Edo as NDLEA Says Old Age No Shield for Drug Trafficking

The Edo State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested an 85-year-old widow, Grace Ehimeka, popularly known as Mama Grace, with 15 bags of cannabis weighing 179kg.

Ehimeka was arrested alongside five other suspected drug traffickers during coordinated raids across communities in Owan East Local Government Area and other locations, the state NDLEA Commander, Mitchell Ofoyeju, disclosed in a statement made available to journalists in Benin on Monday.

Ofoyeju said the operations, carried out following actionable intelligence, led to the recovery of 407.39kg of cannabis, 546 grams of loud, 114 grams of tramadol, four grams of diazepam and three grams 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/Irue and Auchi communities.

Ofoyeju warned that old age would not shield anyone from prosecution, stating that the command remained committed to ridding the state of illicit drugs. “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 confessional statement, Ehimeka admitted ownership of the illicit drugs while pleading 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 pleaded.

According to the commander, Garba was arrested in Ivbiaro on October 15 with 5.85kg of cannabis, while Braimoh was apprehended the same day in the same community with 100 grams of the substance. Mubid was arrested in Warake with two kilograms of cannabis, 309 grams of cannabis seeds, 114 grams of loud and 135 grams of assorted pharmaceutical drugs including tramadol, swinol and diazepam.

Aigberadion was arrested in Ewe/Irue, Owan East Local Government Area, on October 16 with 220.8kg of cannabis, while Okoro was apprehended in Auchi with 237 grams of loud.

Ofoyeju said the arrests and seizures formed part of the agency’s renewed drive to eliminate criminal elements from the state, urging members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to assist in the fight against drug trafficking and abuse.