After three years on the run, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a notorious drug kingpin, 36-year-old Sunday Ibigide, in Asaba, Delta State.
Ibigide, who had been on the agency’s wanted list since March 2022, was nabbed while attempting to transport 250 blocks of skunk weighing 138 kilograms in a distribution bus.
Confirming the development, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said: “The arrest of Ibigide marks a major breakthrough for the agency.
He had been declared wanted after his involvement in the 2022 seizure of 24.137kg of cannabis and 10 grams of molly. Since then, he went underground, but our operatives never relented until credible intelligence led to his capture.”
He added that Ibigide was arrested alongside his aide, 27-year-old Clement Osuya.Babafemi disclosed that the arrest was part of a broader nationwide offensive against drug cartels.
“In Enugu State, no fewer than six suspects were apprehended during raids on three massive cannabis farms in Enugu Ezike, where 37,500kg of skunk cultivated on 15 hectares of farmland was destroyed.
The operation was supported by the military and vigilantes,” he explained. He noted that 74.5kg of cannabis was secured as evidence for prosecution.He further revealed that in separate operations in Enugu, “20,700 pills of tramadol and cocodamol were seized from a suspect, Emmanuel Ayogu, along Nsukka road, while two others — Nsubechukwu Achidde and Osiaja Simple Frank — were arrested with 27.6kg of skunk at Enugu’s New Market.”
In Lagos, Babafemi said NDLEA operatives arrested a 52-year-old woman, Muyibat Mumuni, and her son, Faruk, for storing and distributing 298 blocks of Ghana Loud weighing 149kg in Mushin. “Another suspect, Emmanuel Samuel, was nabbed in Ajah with 8.5kg of Canadian Loud recovered from his apartment,” he added.
Across other states, the agency also recorded significant seizures. According to Babafemi, “In Gombe, we arrested one Sani Mohammed with 128,000 capsules of tramadol, while along the Okene-Lokoja highway, Kogi State, a commercial bus driver, Sulaiman Oyedokun, was intercepted with 337,800 capsules of the same opioid.”
Similarly, he disclosed that NDLEA operatives destroyed 11,250kg of skunk on 4.5 hectares of farmland in Taraba State, working with the Sardauna Emirate Council and hunters’ security services.
In Kaduna, operatives intercepted 22,640 pills of tramadol and rohypnol from suspects Mohammed Amdife and Sulaiman Mohammed. “Two others, Caroline David and Abdulhadi Umar, were also arrested after 111.1kg of skunk was seized along the Zaria–Kano road,” Babafemi confirmed.
He added that 29,840 capsules of tramadol were also recovered from a suspect, Saleh Babangida, in Wukari, Taraba State.The NDLEA spokesman highlighted one of the most significant busts at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers State.
“A total of 875,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup worth over N6.1 billion and 3.5 million pills of benzhexol valued at N1.7 billion were recovered from five containers.
This was achieved through our intelligence-driven watch-listing and joint examination with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies,” he said.
Babafemi assured that NDLEA would sustain its momentum in dismantling drug cartels and cutting off their supply networks nationwide.
