The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a notorious drug baron, Sunday Ibigide, after he allegedly attempted to transport 250 blocks of skunk weighing 138 kilograms using his distribution vehicle.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, the suspect, who had been on the run for three years, was tracked down alongside his aide, Clement Osuya, in Asaba, Delta State on August 10, 2025.
“Ibigide came under our watch on March 19, 2022, after 24.137 kilograms of skunk and 10 grams of molly were seized in a previous operation, but he went underground afterwards,” Babafemi said.
The spokesperson disclosed that the arrest of Ibigide is one of several high-profile operations conducted by the agency in the past week across multiple states.
“No fewer than six suspects were arrested on August 14 and 15 when our operatives, assisted by the military and vigilantes, stormed three cannabis farms in Enugu Ezike, Enugu State, where 37,500kg of skunk cultivated on 15 hectares of land was destroyed,” Babafemi revealed.
Those apprehended during the Enugu operation were identified as Ugwuanyi Chinaso, James Negedu, Sopuruchukwu Obido, Ebuka Onu, Ukwueze Sunday and Oguche Friday. About 74.5kg of processed skunk was recovered for prosecution.
In a separate operation in Enugu, officers intercepted 20,700 pills of tramadol and cocodamol from a 53-year-old suspect, Emmanuel Ayogu, during patrols on the Nsukka Road, while two other suspects — Nsubechukwu Achidde (24) and Osiaja Simple Frank (41) — were arrested with 27.6kg of skunk the same day at the New Market area.
“In Lagos, our operatives arrested a 52-year-old woman, Muyibat Mumuni, and her son Faruk, 25, for storing and distributing 298 blocks of Ghana Loud weighing 149kg at Ladega Street in Mushin,” Babafemi stated. Another suspect, Emmanuel Samuel, was also nabbed in Ajah with 8.5kg of Canadian Loud, a premium strain of cannabis.
Elsewhere, officers recovered 128,000 capsules of tramadol from Sani Mohammed, 32, in Gombe State on August 11. On the Okene-Lokoja Highway in Kogi State, 337,800 capsules of tramadol were seized from a commercial bus driver, Sulaiman Oyedokun, 47, traveling from Onitsha to Kotangora.
Babafemi added that in Taraba State, “11,250kg of skunk was destroyed on 4.5 hectares of farmland in Tanmiya forest, Sardauna LGA, while 29,840 capsules of tramadol were seized from Saleh Babangida, 20, at a checkpoint in Wukari.”
In Kaduna, two suspects — Mohammed Amdife, 46, and Sulaiman Mohammed, 22 — were arrested with 22,640 pills of tramadol and rohypnol at Gwargwaje checkpoint and Tudun Wada, while another two, Caroline David, 51, and Abdulhadi Umar, 30, were arrested after 111.1kg of skunk was intercepted on the Zaria–Kano Road.
At Onne Port in Rivers State, operatives seized 875,000 bottles of codeine syrup worth over ₦6.1bn and 3.5 million pills of trodol benzhexol valued at ₦1.7bn from five containers during a joint operation with Customs and other security agencies.
In Edo State, officers recovered 24 bags of skunk weighing 432kg in Etsako West LGA and 130kg at a warehouse in Sobe, Owan West. Two more suspects — Tahiru Madu Manga, 25, and Ibrahim Audu, 47 — were arrested with 92kg of skunk during patrols on the Zaria–Kano highway in Kano State.
Additionally, 4,320 ampoules of ketamine injection were intercepted on the Badagry–Lagos Highway on August 11, with Akeem Adegun taken into custody.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), praised the agency’s officers for their commitment. “I commend all our operatives involved in these operations. You must maintain our balanced approach to drug control — combining law enforcement with drug demand reduction,” he said.
