National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested Sunday Ibigide, a notorious drug kingpin, after a relentless three-year manhunt. The arrest took place in Asaba, Delta State, on August 10, 2025, when Ibigide was caught attempting to transport 250 blocks of skunk, weighing 138kg, in his distribution bus. His aide, Clement Osuya, 27, was also apprehended during the operation.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, Ibigide first came under the agency’s radar on March 19, 2022, following a significant seizure of skunk and molly. After evading capture for years, he was finally tracked down by Delta State operatives acting on credible intelligence.
The NDLEA’s crackdown did not stop with Ibigide’s arrest. Across the country, coordinated operations have led to several major seizures and arrests:
In Enugu, NDLEA, with support from the military and vigilantes, destroyed 37,500kg of skunk on 15 hectares of cannabis farms in Enugu Ezike, arrested six suspects, and recovered 74.5kg of skunk. In another operation, Emmanuel Ayogu, 53, was caught with 20,700 tramadol and cocodamol pills, while two others were arrested with 27.6kg of skunk at New Market.
In Lagos, Muyibat Mumuni, 52, and her son Faruk, 25, were arrested in Mushin for storing and distributing 298 blocks (149kg) of Ghana Loud. Emmanuel Samuel was also arrested in Ajah, Lekki, with 8.5kg of Canadian Loud.
In Gombe, 128,000 tramadol capsules were seized from Sani Mohammed, 32. In Kogi, Sulaiman Oyedokun, 47, a commercial driver, was intercepted with 337,800 capsules on the Okene-Lokoja highway.
In Taraba, 11,250kg of skunk was destroyed across 4.5 hectares in Tanmiya forest, and Saleh Babangida, 20, was arrested with 29,840 tramadol capsules. Kaduna operatives arrested four suspects and recovered 22,640 tramadol/rohypnol pills and 111.1kg of skunk.
The most significant bust occurred at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers State, where NDLEA operatives, in collaboration with Customs and other security agencies, seized 875,000 bottles of codeine syrup valued at ₦6.1 billion and 3.5 million pills of trodol benzhexol worth ₦1.7 billion. These seizures followed an intelligence watch list on five containers at the West Africa Container Terminal (WACT).
Additional seizures include 432kg of skunk recovered on Warake-Auchi Road and 130kg seized in Sobe, Edo State; the arrest of Tahiru Manga, 25, and Ibrahim Audu, 47, with 92kg of skunk in Kano State; and the seizure of 4,320 ampoules of ketamine injection on the Lagos-Badagry Highway, with suspect Akeem Adegun in custody.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the dedication of the agency’s officers and urged them to continue balancing enforcement with War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation. He emphasized the importance of advocacy and recent visits to key national figures, including former Head of State Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar and traditional rulers, as part of the agency’s holistic approach.
“We are investing in the future of our country by fighting this menace on all fronts,” Marwa stated.