101 Years of Offenses: Centenarian Nigerian Woman Arrested for Selling Cannabis

Details of an unprecedented incident shock the Nigerian public

In a bizarre incident that has sparked widespread astonishment both locally and internationally, the Nigerian National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 101-year-old woman for her alleged involvement in drug trafficking in the southwest of the country.

Circumstances of the arrest and quantities seized

The incident dates back to August 15th, when security forces in the city of “Ilesan,” in Ogun State, raided the home of Esther Ogunmabo. Authorities seized approximately 90 grams of cannabis, known as “skunk,” which was divided into small bags ready for distribution.

A life change: From grocery store to drug dealing

During preliminary investigations, the grandmother offered shocking justifications for her actions, explaining to investigators that she previously owned a grocery store, but a fire destroyed her only source of livelihood. This pushed her to seek another means to provide for herself, leading her to sell drugs to her neighbors.

An organized family network

The investigations revealed even more startling details: it was discovered that her daughter, who resides in the nearby city of “Lagos,” acted as the “main supplier” for her mother, providing her with quantities of cannabis roughly every four days, which the mother then sold in small doses to consumers.

A humanitarian judicial decision

Given the defendant’s extremely advanced age, Mohamed Buba Marwa, the Chairman and CEO of the NDLEA, issued an order for the centenarian to be released on bail, while authorities decided to continue prosecuting the daughter and keeping her in custody for her involvement in drug trafficking and managing this illegal family network.