By Deborah Nnamdi
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a notorious drug kingpin, Sunday Ibigide, in Asaba, Delta State—three years after he was declared wanted for trafficking in illicit substances.
The 36-year-old suspect was apprehended alongside an aide, Clement Osuya, 27, while attempting to transport 250 blocks of skunk weighing 138kg using his distribution bus. NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, confirmed the arrest on Sunday, noting that Ibigide had been on the agency’s radar since March 2022 following the seizure of 24.137kg of skunk and 10 grams of Molly linked to him.
Elsewhere, operatives recorded breakthroughs in drug interdiction operations across several states.
In Rivers State, a joint operation at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, led to the interception of 875,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup—valued at over N6.1 billion—and 3.5 million pills of Trodol Benzhexol worth N1.7 billion. The massive seizure was made during a coordinated inspection of five containers at the West Africa Container Terminal (WACT) on August 13 and 14.
In Enugu State, NDLEA operatives, supported by the military and local vigilantes, raided three cannabis farms in Enugu Ezike between August 14 and 15. The operation resulted in the arrest of six suspects and the destruction of 37,500kg of skunk cultivated on 15 hectares of farmland. Recovered for evidence was an additional 74.5kg of the illicit drug.
Separately, officers seized 20,700 pills of tramadol and cocodamol from a 53-year-old suspect, Emmanuel Ayogu, along Nsukka Road, while two other suspects were arrested in Enugu’s New Market with 27.6kg of skunk.
In Lagos, a mother-and-son duo, Muyibat and Faruk Mumuni, were arrested in Mushin for warehousing 149kg of “Ghana Loud”, while another suspect, Emmanuel Samuel, was caught in Ajah with 8.5kg of Canadian Loud.
In Gombe, operatives intercepted 128,000 capsules of tramadol from Sani Mohammed, 32, while on the Okene-Lokoja Highway in Kogi State, 337,800 capsules of the same opioid were recovered from a commercial driver transporting the drugs from Onitsha to Kotangora.
Taraba State saw the destruction of 11,250kg of skunk in Tanmiya Forest and the arrest of a 20-year-old suspect with 29,840 capsules of tramadol at a Wukari checkpoint.
In Edo, NDLEA recovered 432kg of skunk in a bush in Etsako West LGA and another 130kg from a warehouse in Sobe, Owan West LGA.
Kaduna operatives arrested four suspects linked to 22,640 pills of tramadol and rohypnol, and 111.1kg of skunk. In Kano, two suspects were caught with 92kg of skunk along the Zaria-Kano highway.
Meanwhile, in Lagos’ Seme Command, 4,320 ampoules of ketamine injection were intercepted at the Gbaji checkpoint, leading to the arrest of suspect Akeem Adegun.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), lauded the operatives involved in the high-impact operations, praising commands in Rivers, Gombe, Kogi, Lagos, Delta, Taraba, and others for their commitment to the agency’s nationwide drug control efforts.
He urged continued vigilance and adherence to NDLEA’s balanced approach to tackling the nation’s drug menace.
