In a series of high-impact drug enforcement operations spanning several states, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended both long-standing and unknown participants in the drug trade, including an 80-year-old ex-offender.  

Ayuba Ashiru, 80, was taken into custody by NDLEA agents on May 14, 2025, in Kaduna State, near Barazana Street in the Dogarawa neighbourhood of Sabon Gari Local Government Area.  

Officers responding to actionable intelligence discovered 2.3 kg of skunk, a strong kind of cannabis, neatly wrapped in paper and nylon and prepared for retail distribution.  

In a statement issued on Sunday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi confirmed the arrest and disclosed Ashiru's lengthy experience in the illegal trade.

“He claimed to have been in the illicit drug trade for the past 46 years,” the statement reads.

According to the agency, Ashiru had already been detained, tried, and found guilty of drug-related charges; he was sentenced to 10 years in jail from 2014 to 2024.

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