Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 101-year-old great-grandmother for dealing in illicit drugs.

The great-grandmother, identified as Esther Ogunmabo, was arrested in Ilisan, Ogun State, with retail sachets of skunk, a strain of cannabis, weighing 90 grammes, which she claimed she sold to locals.

A statement by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, yesterday, said the centenarian told operatives that she started engaging in illicit drug trade after her provisions shop was razed by fire.

The statement partly read, “Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have recorded significant breakthroughs across the country’s land and maritime borders, including the arrest of a 101-year-old great-grandmother for dealing in illicit drugs.

“NDLEA operatives on Saturday, August 15, 2026, arrested a 101-year-old woman, Esther Ogunmabo, in Ilisan, Ogun State, with retail sachets of skunk, a strain of cannabis, weighing 90 grams, which she claims she sells to locals.

“The centenarian told operatives that she resorted to the illicit drug trade after her provisions shop was razed by fire, adding that one of her daughters, who resides in Lagos, arranges the supply of the substance to her every four days, which she in turn sold in bits.”

Babafemi said the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), directed that the suspect be granted bail and placed on counselling because of her advanced age, while her daughter had been arrested.

In a related development, he said NDLEA operatives in Akwa Ibom State, acting on credible intelligence, intercepted a wooden boat on the high seas, last Friday, conveying illicit drugs to fishing settlements in the Republic of Cameroon.

According to him, three suspects arrested aboard the boat, which was heading to Ine Isu, Ine Mbah and Ine Ikot Itie Udung fishing ports in Cameroon, included Etima Effiong Eekpo, 29, caught with 1.120kg of skunk; Otobong Eyoh Etukudoh, 33, who had 42.060kg of skunk in his possession; and 27-year-old Kingsley Effiong John, who was found with 20 grammes of cocaine cleverly concealed inside a large wrap of edible cassava fufu, alongside 435 grammes of skunk.

“A total of 42.622kg of narcotics was recovered from the trio,” Babafemi added.

In the nation’s maritime space, Babafemi said the agency recorded its first-ever seizure of illicit drugs shipped from Thailand through the maritime corridor, following the interception of two containers of cannabis indica, also known as Loud, at the Apapa and Lekki ports, with a combined street value put at over N4.4bn.

“Both containers were loaded at the Port of Laem Chabang, Thailand, underscoring the emergence of a new trafficking route being exploited by drug syndicates to smuggle synthetic cannabis into the country,” he added.

At the Apapa Port, Babafemi said a container declared to be conveying dry fish, rice, vehicle spare parts, turmeric soap and inverter batteries was found, during a joint examination of the shipment, last Friday, by the NDLEA, Customs and others, to contain 1,090.5kg of Thai Loud packed in 54 cartons comprising 2,181 sachets of 500 grammes each.

“At the Lekki Deep Sea Port, a similar container, which had been placed on the Agency’s watchlist and monitored by its Marine Special Operations Unit, was jointly examined on Wednesday, 19th August. Of the seven pallets found in the container wrapped in black nylon, four were confirmed to be laced with Thai Loud, yielding 96 cartons made up of 400 parcels weighing a total of 400kg. The remaining three pallets contained 798 rims of A4 paper, which had been used as cover for the consignment,” he said.

In the Federal Capital Territory, Babafemi said NDLEA operatives on Saturday, August 22, intercepted three waybill packages containing 24,410 pills of tramadol capsules inside a Hummer bus travelling from Enugu to Zuba.

“A follow-up operation conducted in Niger State led to the arrest of the owner of the consignment, Sunday Eze, 28, in Kontagora, after which he was transferred to Abuja,” he said.

In Ondo, Babafemi said operatives raided a cannabis farm at Ijare forest, Ifedore Local Government Area, on August 19, following the earlier arrest of three suspected cannabis planters at the same location on August 16.

“The team destroyed a total of 10,000kg of skunk cultivated across four hectares of the forest. In a separate operation in the state, operatives same day at Ita-Ogbolu, Akure North LGA, recovered 210kg skunk and a Toyota Camry car with registration number AGL 223 JH belonging to Sylvester Dibiagu Anthony, who is currently at large,” he added.

Babafemi also said, “A raid at Hadeija Road, Kano, on Monday, August 17, led to the arrest of Chibuzor Madueke, 31, with 98 blocks of skunk weighing 73.3kg recovered from him, while a similar operation by NDLEA operatives at Seme, Badagry area of Lagos, led to the arrest of three family members: Nasiru Tijjani, 52; Moshood Tijjani, 27; and Salami Tijjani, 27, at Ashipa area, near the Seme border, with 48kg of skunk.

“In Abia State, NDLEA officers on Thursday, August 20, raided the residence of Ikechukwu Anthony Iwuno, 36, at Umuobia Olokoro area of Umuahia South LGA, where 14.4kg Loud, 2.3kg Colorado, 386 grammes of tramadol and 134 grammes of rohypnol were recovered.”

While commending the officers and men of the Ogun, Apapa, Lekki, Seme, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, Oyo, Kwara, Kano, Abia and FCT Commands for the various successful operations, Marwa enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the current balanced approach to the agency’s drug-control efforts.

The Federal Government has officially designated Bonny Island as a premier tourism destination in the country.

Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Mrs Hannatu Musawa, announced this at the just concluded Bonny Island Tourism and Investment summit in Bonny, Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The event was organised by the Bonny Chamber of Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture.

Musawa said the Federal Government would partner with relevant stakeholders and development partners to transform Bonny Island into a leading tourism destination in the country.

Represented by the Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority, Dr. Olayiwola Awakan, the Minister said Bonny Kingdom possesses enormous economic, cultural and natural potentials capable of positioning it as a major tourism hub.

According to the minister, the extraordinary combination of the kingdom’s natural heritage, historical resources, rich community traditions and emerging investment opportunities makes Bonny uniquely positioned to become one of Nigeria’s leading tourism destinations.

She, however, said the development of Bonny Island must go beyond the construction of individual tourism facilities to the creation of a comprehensive destination ecosystem that addresses accessibility and connectivity, accommodation, attractions, entertainment, environmental sustainability and other critical components required to enhance the experience of visitors and improve the quality of life of residents.

The minister stressed the need for partnership, adding that the development of tourism requires the collective efforts of all stakeholders .

Meanwhile, the Amanyanabo of Grand Bonny Kingdom, King Edward Asimini William Dappa Pepple, has declared the readiness of his kingdom towards making Bonny Island a tourism hub.

Pepple reaffirmed the determination of the traditional institution to support genuine, credible and sustainable investments capable of advancing the prosperity and well-being of the people.

He said, though Bonny is presently occupying a unique position in the nation’s oil and gas industry, its story goes beyond oil and gas as the kingdom has been noted for its exploits in commerce, maritime activities and diplomacy.

According to him, “Discover Bonny” which is the theme of the summit is not the creation of a new identity but a clarion call to the rest of the world to come and discover the rich natural heritage of the people.

He  said that the traditional institution would continue to promote a tourism development model that is economically viable, environmentally sustainable and culturally inclusive.

The monarch commended Nigeria LNG Limited, Renaissance and other development partners for their sustained collaboration and contributions towards the socio-economic development of Bonny Kingdom.

President of the Bonny Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, Mrs. Constance Nwokejiobi, in her address, emphasised the importance of strategic partnerships and investment in unlocking the tourism and economic potentials of Bonny Island.

She noted that the summit provided an important platform for government, traditional institutions, investors, development partners and other stakeholders to explore opportunities for sustainable tourism development and investment in the kingdom.

According to her, the summit is expected to strengthen collaboration among stakeholders and promote investments that will harness Bonny Island’s rich cultural heritage, natural attractions and economic potential, ultimately positioning the kingdom as a preferred destination for local and international tourists and investors.

Speaking earlier at a panel discussions, President, South South Chambers of Commerce industry Mines and Agriculture, Prince Billy Harry, called on the leadership of Bonny Kingdom to build upon the existing peace in the kingdom.

Harry said tourism thrives in a society that is peaceful, and commended the Bonny Chamber of Commerce, Industry Mines and Agriculture for coming up with the ‘Discover Bonny’ initiative.

Similarly, a Nollywood Actress, Hilda Dokubo, said women and every segment of the Bonny society must be involved in the Island Tourism sector.

John Bibor

President Bola Tinubu is set to lead a fresh continental push to stop Africa’s mineral wealth from leaving the continent largely as raw materials, as he chairs a high-level summit on critical minerals in New York next month.

The meeting, convened by the Africa Minerals Strategy Group on September 21, 2026, will be held in Manhattan on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Tinubu, who is the Chairman of the AMSG General Assembly, will chair the Third High-Level Roundtable on Critical Minerals Development in Africa, with the gathering expected to bring together African leaders and government representatives, ministers, global investors, development finance institutions, multilateral organisations, and executives from mining, technology and logistics companies.

A statement issued by AMSG yesterday said the summit, themed “From Resources to Wealth: Continental Cooperation for Mineral Value Addition,” comes as major economies intensify the search for secure supplies of minerals required for electric vehicles, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure and defence technologies.

The statement read in parts, “Africa is set to make a major push for greater control over its critical minerals future as the Africa Minerals Strategy Group convenes its Third High-Level Roundtable on Critical Minerals Development in Africa in Manhattan, New York, on September 21, 2026, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.

“The Roundtable will be chaired by His Excellency Bola Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Chairperson of the AMSG General Assembly, underscoring Africa’s determination to place critical minerals at the centre of the continent’s industrial, economic and geopolitical agenda.”

Africa holds substantial deposits of several minerals at the centre of the global scramble, including lithium, copper, cobalt, graphite, manganese and rare earth elements.

However, the continent has historically exported much of its mineral resources in raw or minimally processed form, leaving other regions to capture a larger share of the value from refining, manufacturing and finished products built from the minerals.

The AMSG said the New York meeting would seek to change that pattern by moving African countries towards greater processing, manufacturing and integration of mineral value chains.

“The Roundtable will focus on how African countries can move beyond the traditional extract-and-export model to build integrated mineral value chains, attract transformative capital, strengthen continental cooperation and secure a greater share of the economic value generated from Africa’s mineral resources,” the group said.

The meeting will also mark the next phase of the Mutual Assured Development framework launched at the African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit held in Abuja earlier in 2026.

At the New York gathering, African leaders and policymakers are expected to unveil the proposed Continental Integration and Economic Assurance Declaration, which will provide a framework for cooperation on critical minerals.

The proposed declaration will cover policy coordination, investment mobilisation, local value addition, supply-chain security and efforts to strengthen Africa’s negotiating position in the global minerals economy.

A major component of the initiative is the proposed CIEAD Finance Window, designed to mobilise capital for mineral processing, infrastructure, technology and other segments required to build competitive value chains within Africa.

The AMSG said the initiative was intended to move beyond policy discussions towards concrete investment and implementation structures.

“Building on the Mutual Assured Development Framework, the New York gathering will mark a transition from strategic dialogue to structural execution,” the group said.

The meeting will be convened by the leadership of the AMSG, including the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, who chairs the AMSG Ministerial Steering Committee, and the Secretary-General of the group, Moses Michael Engadu.

The Africa Finance Corporation, other development finance institutions, multilateral organisations and private-sector players in mining, technology, mineral traceability and logistics are also expected to participate.

Established in January 2024 by African governments, the AMSG is a continental intergovernmental organisation focused on coordinating critical minerals policy, investment alignment, minerals security and Africa’s engagement with global partners.

Its mission is to strengthen Africa’s control over its mineral resources and ensure that the continent captures more of the value created from the minerals increasingly shaping the future global economy.