By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Correspondent
A THREE-year manhunt for 36-year-old drug kingpin Sunday Ibigide ended in Asaba, Delta State, when operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) intercepted him on Sunday 10th August 2025 with 250 blocks of skunk weighing 138 kilogrammes.
NDLEA stated that Ibigide had been declared wanted since March 2022 over a previous seizure of 24.137kg of the same substance and 10 grams of molly, before going underground.
He was arrested alongside his aide, 27-year-old Clement Osuya, while attempting to distribute the consignment.
The Agency confirmed that between 14th and 15th August, six suspects were arrested during raids on three cannabis farms in Enugu Ezike, Enugu State, where 37,500kg of skunk cultivated on 15 hectares of farmland was destroyed.
The suspects were identified as Ugwuanyi Chinaso, James Negedu, Sopuruchukwu Obido, Ebuka Onu, Ukwueze Sunday and Oguche Friday.
In a separate operation in Enugu, NDLEA officers patrolling along Nsukka road intercepted 20,700 pills of tramadol and cocodamol from a 53-year-old suspect, Emmanuel Ayogu, while two others, Nsubechukwu Achidde and Osiaja Simple Frank, were arrested at New Market with 27.6kg of skunk.
Operations in Lagos led to the arrest of a 52-year-old woman, Muyibat Mumuni, and her 25-year-old son, Faruk Mumuni, at Mushin on 13th August.
NDLEA disclosed that they stored and distributed 298 blocks of Ghana Loud weighing 149kg. Another suspect, Emmanuel Samuel, was arrested in Lekki with 8.5kg of Canadian Loud recovered from his apartment.
The Agency reported that 128,000 capsules of tramadol were recovered from a suspect, Sani Mohammed, at Jauro Jatau, Gombe State, on 11th August, while 337,800 capsules of the same substance were intercepted along the Okene-Lokoja highway, Kogi State, from 47-year-old driver Sulaiman Oyedokun, travelling from Onitsha to Kotangora.
In Taraba, 11,250kg of skunk was destroyed in Sardauna LGA during a joint raid on 12th August, while 29,840 capsules of tramadol were seized from a suspect, Saleh Babangida, in Wukari on 16th August.
In Kaduna, operatives arrested two suspects, Mohammed Amdife and Sulaiman Mohammed, in connection with 22,640 pills of tramadol and rohypnol.
Two others, Caroline David and Abdulhadi Umar, were arrested with 111.1kg of skunk along the Zaria-Kano Road.
Meanwhile, at the Onne Port in Rivers State, NDLEA announced the recovery of 875,000 bottles of codeine syrup valued at N6.1 billion and 3.5 million pills of trodol benzhexol worth N1.7 billion from five containers under joint examination with the Nigeria Customs Service and security agencies.
Additional seizures included 432kg of skunk recovered on Warake-Auchi Road, Edo State, and 130kg from a warehouse in Sobe, Owan West LGA.
In Kano State, suspects were arrested with 16kg and 76kg of skunk respectively along the Zaria-Kano Road.
NDLEA also intercepted 4,320 ampoules of ketamine injection at Gbaji checkpoint, Badagry-Lagos highway, with a suspect in custody.
The Agency noted that its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation continued with advocacy visits to former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar in Niger State, the Emir of Borgu, the Emir of Lafia and the Shehu of Borno.
Chairman and Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers and men across multiple Commands for the arrests and seizures, urging continued commitment to the Agency’s balanced approach in drug control operations.
