The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has arrested a wanted female drug kingpin, Fatima Ilori, in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.
The agency in a statement on Sunday said the female drug kingpin was arrested on Monday, 29th December 2025.
It stated that the arrested female drug kingpin is suspected to be a major illicit drug distributor in Ibadan.
The agency disclosed that the 65-year-old grandma, Fatima Ilori, popularly known as Mama Kerosine was nabbed in an intelligence-led operation following the seizure of 238.4kg skunk, a strain of cannabis, linked to her.
The NDLEA in the statement signed by its Spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said Fatima Ilori was arrested along with another female suspect, Olusanya Abosede, 35, at Onireke/Elekuro area of Ibadan.
Also, the NDLEA said it intercepted various quantities of illicit substances including Ketamine, Ecstasy and Tramadol pills concealed in sachets of coffee mix and book parcel heading to Zambia and the United Kingdom.
Babafemi said the seizures were made at a courier company in Lagos on 24th and 29th December 2025.
The organisation said the development was coming just as it has taken into custody, 22 Indian crew members of a merchant vessel, MV Aruna Hulya, in which 31.5 kilograms of cocaine was intercepted by operatives at the GDNL terminal, Apapa port Lagos on Friday, 2nd January, 2026.
The NDLEA said those detained in connection with the discovery of the 31.5kg cocaine in hatch 3 of the ship which originated from Marshall Islands, include the Master of the Vessel, Sharma Shashi Bhushan and 21 other crew members.
The detained crew members are namely: Bharati Manoj Kumar; Bhalerao Nilesh Mukund; Nadar Anthony Macson David; Kolusu Srinivasa Rao; Sagar Gaurav; Francis Anto Beemas Nester; Jagdeep Singh; Jai Parkash; Prabhukhan Singh; Nevage Sandesh Suresh; Pandey Prashant; Nittu Anand; Akash Babu; Dasari Raju; Reddy Nandika Sanjeeba; Rana Nivesh; Melethil Insaf Rahman; Barla Chantanya Krishna; Ghosh Arijit; Mondal Raihan; and Gangwar Shiv Om.
In another operation in Borno State, NDLEA said the supply chain of illicit drugs to insurgents was further disrupted with the arrest of two suppliers and seizure of large consignments of illicit substances.
“While one of the suspects, Isa Mohammed, 26, was arrested by NDLEA operatives following the interception of 9,150 ampoules of Tramadol Injection along Maiduguri-Gamboru Ngala road on Friday, 2nd January 2026, the other suspect Musa Samaila, 30, was nabbed with 34,000 capsules of Tramadol at Biu market same day.
“Not less than 400kg skunk was recovered along with a van at Mobolaji Johnson area of Lagos on new year day, Thursday, 1st January, while a suspect Bilya Ibrahim, 39, was arrested at a motor park in Hadejia town, Jigawa State on Tuesday, 30th December 2025 while trying to transport 260 compressed blocks of skunk weighing 140.8kg, which he procured from Taraba State to Nguru, Yobe State.
“In Kwara State, NDLEA officers on Tuesday, 30th December 2025 recovered 238.50kg skunk from the home of a suspect at Asa Dam area of Ilorin, while a total of 32,000 pills of tramadol and diazepam were seized from another suspect, Abubakar Rabiu, 32, at Bode Saadu, Morro LGA, on new year eve, Wednesday 31st December 2025,” the statement said.
The NDLEA further stated that its various commands and formations across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities during the week under review.
“These include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Madrasatu Fadimatul Zahra Sabuwar Abuja Kankia, Kankia LGA, Katsina; members of Topo Youth Progressive Organisation, Topo Badagry, Lagos; and residents of Madalla community at the palace of Hakimi Madalla, Niger State, among others,” the statement disclosed.
In his reaction to the arrest and seizures, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, retired Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers and men of DOGI, Apapa, Oyo, Borno, Lagos, Kwara and Jigawa Commands for their hard work and diligence.
Marwa enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to intensify the ongoing drug control efforts of the Agency.
(vitalnewsngr.com)
