Nigeria Arrests 101-Year-Old Esther Ogunmabo Over 90 Grams of Cannabis
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 24
Nigeria Arrests 101-Year-Old Esther Ogunmabo Over 90 Grams of Cannabis
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 24
Summary
Ogun state authorities arrested Esther Ogunmabo, a 101-year-old great-grandmother, after finding 90 grams of skunk cannabis packaged in retail sachets that investigators say she sold locally.
Ogunmabo told investigators she turned to the drug trade after a fire destroyed her provisions shop, and the NDLEA said one of her daughters in Lagos allegedly supplied her every four days.
NDLEA chief Mohamed Marwa ordered that she be released on bail and given counselling because of her age, though the agency said she could still face charges; her daughter was also arrested.
The arrest came as the NDLEA reported wider trafficking interceptions, including more than 42 kg of narcotics seized from a boat bound for Cameroon and its first-ever drug seizure from Thailand.
While busting billion-naira international cartels, should authorities really pursue criminal charges against a 101-year-old grandmother trying to survive?
Was a 101-year-old fire victim forced into the drug trade by poverty, or is she a clever front for a syndicate?
How did a centenarian's tragic loss expose the shocking lack of social safety nets for Nigeria’s most vulnerable citizens?