101-year-old woman arrested in Nigeria for allegedly selling ganja
A 101-year-old woman has been arrested in Nigeria for allegedly selling cannabis after authorities reportedly found her with more than 90 grams of the drug.
According to BBC, Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said Esther Ogunmabo, described as a great-grandmother, was apprehended on Saturday in Ogun State in the south-western region of the country.
Femi Babafemi, the agency’s media director, said Ogunmabo was found with “retail sachets of skunk”, a strain of cannabis weighing 90 grams, which she allegedly told investigators she sold to people in her community.
The NDLEA said Ogunmabo claimed she became involved in the illicit drug trade after her provisions shop was destroyed by fire.
She has since been released on bail.
According to the agency, one of Ogunmabo’s daughters, who lives in Lagos, allegedly arranged for the ganja to be supplied to her every four days. Ogunmabo is accused of then repackaging the drug and selling it in smaller quantities to customers in her community.
NDLEA chief executive Mohamed Marwa directed that the elderly woman be granted bail and receive counselling because of her advanced age.
However, her release on bail does not prevent her from potentially being charged with a criminal offence.
Her daughter has also been arrested.
Ogunmabo’s arrest was reported as the NDLEA also announced several drug seizures along Nigeria’s maritime routes.
In Akwa Ibom State, operatives acting on intelligence intercepted a wooden boat on the high seas last Friday as it headed towards Cameroon and arrested three people aboard. More than 42 kilogrammes of narcotics were reportedly recovered from the suspects.
The NDLEA also announced what it described as a milestone in its first-ever seizure of illicit drugs shipped from Thailand.