'101-year-old great-grandmother' arrested for selling cannabis in Nigeria

What the report says

A 101-year-old woman in Nigeria has been arrested on suspicion of selling cannabis, in a case that has attracted attention because of her age and the unusual circumstances described by authorities. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency said Esther Ogunmabo, described as a great-grandmother, was detained in Ogun state in the country’s south-west.

According to the NDLEA, officers found her with small packaged quantities of skunk, a type of cannabis, and she was accused of selling the drug in retail amounts to people in her community. The agency said she told investigators that she began selling illicit drugs after her provision shop was destroyed by fire. It also said her daughter, who lives in Lagos, allegedly helped supply the cannabis every few days. Her daughter has also been arrested.

The NDLEA said Ogunmabo was released on bail after the agency’s chief executive directed that she be granted bail and offered counselling because of her age. The article notes that bail does not rule out later criminal charges. BBC Africa also reported that the arrest came as the NDLEA announced other drug seizures, including a boat interception in Akwa Ibom state and its first reported seizure of drugs shipped from Thailand.

The case highlights both Nigeria’s ongoing drug enforcement efforts and the agency’s focus on trafficking networks that operate at local and cross-border levels.