Barely three years after he was arrested, prosecuted, and sentenced to two years' imprisonment for dealing in illicit drugs, an 80-year-old grandfather, Jeremiah Isaiah Nkanta, has again been nabbed by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

In a statement released on Sunday, the Agency's spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed that Nkanta--already notorious for his involvement in the illicit drug trade--was first arrested on December 14, 2022, and sentenced by a Federal High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

Babafemi stated that Nkanta was tracked by NDLEA operatives following credible intelligence, adding that on January 10, 2026, he was apprehended at his residence in Mmanta-Abak village, Abak LGA, Akwa Ibom State, with 5.7 kilograms of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis.

In another operation in Akwa Ibom, operatives on patrol along the Oron-Ibaka Road intercepted a 37-year-old businessman, Ani Onyebuchi Romans, on Friday, January 9.

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Romans was traveling with full-body mannequins intended for his clothing business in Cameroon.

A thorough search revealed that the mannequins were stuffed with 5.3 kilograms of tramadol pills.

According to the statement, the suspect confessed to purchasing the drugs in Onitsha, Anambra State, with the intention of selling them in Cameroon.

In Oyo State, Babafemi reported that raids led to the arrest of Remi Bamidele (alias "Aluko the Mafia") in Sasa, Ibadan, on January 8. Operatives recovered 10.696 kilograms of various cannabis strains, including Colorado, Scottish Loud, and Canadian Loud, along with two vehicles.

Similarly, in Edo State, a dispatch rider, Osagbovo Edigin (30), and two others were arrested in Benin City on January 9 in connection with the seizure of Canadian Loud. Additional arrests were made in Irrua and Ubiaja, resulting in the recovery of over 18kg of assorted drugs.