The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two elderly men, aged 84 and 75, for allegedly selling illicit drugs to secondary school students in Umuahia, the Abia State capital.
NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, noting that the suspects are currently in custody and will be prosecuted after investigations.
According to the agency, 75-year-old Godwin Obulunbiya Obiora was arrested on Friday, June 19, following intelligence reports linking him to the sale of illicit drugs to students and other users from his patent medicine store located on Club Road, Umuahia.
A search of the store reportedly led to the recovery of 4.64 kilograms of opioids, including tramadol and diazepam.
In a separate operation, 84-year-old pensioner Godfrey Orji was arrested on Thursday, June 18, after security personnel at Saint Silas Secondary School in Old Umuahia allegedly caught him supplying illicit drugs to two teenage students.
The school authorities handed the suspect and the students over to the police, who later transferred the case to the NDLEA for further investigation.
Babafemi said one of the students, a 15-year-old Senior Secondary School 2 pupil, admitted during interrogation that Orji had been supplying him with drugs, which he consumed and also resold to other students.
The NDLEA said both suspects would face prosecution, while the affected students have been enrolled in counselling and rehabilitation programmes.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
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