The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a notorious drug kingpin, Sunday Ibigide, 36, in Asaba, Delta State, three years after launching a manhunt for him. Ibigide, who was wanted in connection with a 2022 drug seizure, was apprehended alongside his aide, Clement Osuya, 27, while attempting to transport 250 blocks of cannabis weighing 138kg.
In a statement on Sunday August 17th 2025, Director, Media and Advocacy NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja Femi Babafemi said the arrests came as NDLEA operatives intensified operations across the country, intercepting multi-billion-naira worth of illicit drugs, destroying cannabis farms, and apprehending traffickers.
Three years after going underground, a wanted drug baron, Sunday Ibigide, 36, was arrested in Asaba, Delta State on Sunday, 10 August 2025. Ibigide, who had been on the NDLEA’s watchlist since March 2022 over the seizure of 24.137kg of cannabis and 10 grams of molly, was captured alongside his aide, Clement Osuya, 27. They were intercepted while attempting to distribute 250 parcels of cannabis weighing 138kg in a branded distribution bus.
At the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers State, NDLEA operatives, in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, intercepted five containers containing 875,000 bottles of codeine syrup valued at N6.1 billion and 3.5 million pills of opioids worth N1.7 billion. The seizure, made between Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 August at the West Africa Container Terminal (WACT), represents one of the largest pharmaceutical drug interceptions in recent years.
In Enugu State, NDLEA operatives, supported by the military and local vigilantes, raided three large cannabis farms in Enugu Ezike between 14 and 15 August. A total of 37,500kg of cannabis cultivated on 15 hectares of farmland was destroyed, while six suspects — Ugwuanyi Chinaso, James Negedu, Sopuruchukwu Obido, Ebuka Onu, Ukwueze Sunday, and Oguche Friday — were arrested. An additional 74.5kg was recovered as evidence for prosecution.
In Taraba State, operatives destroyed 11,250kg of cannabis grown on 4.5 hectares in Tanmiya forest, Sardauna LGA, on Tuesday 12 August, with support from the Sardauna Emirate Council and the Nigeria Forest Hunters Security Service.
- Enugu: Officers seized 20,700 pills of tramadol and cocodamol from Emmanuel Ayogu, 53, along Nsukka road, and arrested two others with 27.6kg of cannabis at Enugu New Market.
- Lagos: A 52-year-old woman, Muyibat Mumuni, and her son, Faruk, 25, were arrested in Mushin with 149kg of cannabis. In Ajah, another suspect was nabbed with 8.5kg of Canadian Loud.
- Gombe & Kogi: A total of 465,800 capsules of tramadol were intercepted from two suspects, including Sani Mohammed, 32, in Gombe and a commercial driver, Sulaiman Oyedokun, 47, on the Okene-Lokoja highway.
- Kaduna: Two suspects were arrested with 22,640 pills of tramadol and rohypnol in Zaria, while another duo was caught with 111.1kg of cannabis along the Zaria–Kano road.
- Edo: NDLEA recovered 432kg of cannabis in Etsako West and 130kg in Owan West.
- Kano: Two suspects were arrested along the Zaria–Kano road with a combined 92kg of cannabis.
- Badagry, Lagos: At Gbaji checkpoint, 4,320 ampoules of ketamine injection were intercepted from a suspect, Akeem Adegun.
Alongside enforcement, NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, carrying out sensitization visits to schools, workplaces, religious centres, and traditional institutions. Notable visits included former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar in Niger State, the Emir of Borgu, HRH Alhaji Muhammad Haliru Dantoro, in Borgu Kingdom, Niger State, the Emir of Lafia, Justice Sidi Bage Mohammed (Rtd), in Nasarawa State, and the Shehu of Borno, HRH Dr. Abubakar Umar Ibn Garbai Elkanemi, in Borno State.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the operatives of Delta, Rivers, Enugu, Taraba, Lagos, Edo, Kano, Kaduna, Gombe, Kogi, and Seme Commands for their successful operations. He urged officers to sustain the momentum, emphasizing the agency’s balanced approach combining enforcement with public education to curb the menace of drug abuse in Nigeria.
