The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, said its operatives have arrested a notorious drug kingpin, 36-year-old Sunday Ibigide, in Asaba, Delta State, three years after launching a manhunt for him over drug trafficking offences.
NDLEA said the suspect was arrested while attempting to move 250 blocks of skunk weighing 138 kilograms with his distribution bus.
This was announced on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja.
Babafemi disclosed that Ibigide came under searchlight on 19th March 2022 in connection with the seizure of 24.137kg of the same psychoactive substance and 10 grams of molly but thereafter went underground.
However, following credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives in Delta State were able to arrest him along with one of his aides, Clement Osuya, 27, while they were trying to move the 250 parcels of skunk for distribution on Sunday, 10th August 2025.
Similarly, Babafemi announced that no fewer than six suspects were arrested on Thursday, 14th and Friday, 15th August when NDLEA operatives, supported by the military and vigilantes, raided three cannabis farms in Enugu Ezike, Enugu State, where a total of 37,500kg of skunk was destroyed on 15 hectares of farmland.
Those arrested include: Ugwuanyi Chinaso, 23; James Negedu, 26; Sopuruchukwu Obido, 22; Ebuka Onu, 30; Ukwueze Sunday, 42; and Oguche Friday; while 74.5kg of the illicit substance was recovered for the prosecution of the suspects.
While 20,700 pills of tramadol and cocodamol were seized from a suspect, Emmanuel Ayogu, 53, by NDLEA officers on patrol along Nsukka Road, 9th Mile, Enugu, on Saturday, 16th August, 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, Enugu.
In Lagos, a 52-year-old woman, Muyibat Mumuni, was arrested with her son, Faruk Mumuni, 25, by NDLEA operatives at Ladega Street, Mushin, on Wednesday, 13th August, for storing and distributing 298 blocks of Ghana Loud weighing 149kg, while another suspect, Emmanuel Samuel, was nabbed on Friday, 15th August, in the Ajah area of Lekki, where 8.5kg of Canadian Loud, a strain of cannabis, was recovered from their apartment.
Not less than 128,000 capsules of tramadol were recovered from a suspect, Sani Mohammed, 32, who was arrested by NDLEA officers at Jauro Jatau, Gombe, Gombe State, on Monday, 11th August, while a total of 337,800 capsules of the same pharmaceutical opioid were seized by operatives on patrol along Okene-Lokoja Highway, Kogi State, from the driver of a commercial bus, Sulaiman Oyedokun, 47, coming from Onitsha, Anambra State, and heading to Kotangora, Niger State.
While a total of 11,250kg of skunk was destroyed on 4.5 hectares of farmland on Tuesday, 12th August, when NDLEA operatives, assisted by Sardauna Emirate Council and the Nigeria Forest Hunters Security Service, raided the Tanmiya Forest in Sardauna LGA, Taraba State, 29,840 capsules of tramadol were seized from a suspect, Saleh Babangida, 20, at a checkpoint in Wukari area of the state on Saturday, 16th August.
In Kaduna, two suspects, Mohammed Amdife, 46, and Sulaiman Mohammed, 22, were arrested in connection with the seizure of 22,640 pills of tramadol and rohypnol at Gwargwaje checkpoint, Zaria, and Tudun Wada area of the state. Two other suspects, Caroline David, 51, and Abdulhadi Umar, 30, were nabbed over the seizure of 111.1kg of skunk intercepted along Zaria-Kano Road.
At the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers State, a total of 875,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup worth over N6.1 billion in street value and 3,500,000 pills of trodol benzhexol valued at N1.7 billion were recovered from five containers under NDLEA intelligence tracking and watch-list during joint examination with Customs Service and other security agencies on Wednesday, 13th and Thursday, 14th August, at the West Africa Container Terminal (WACT) of the Onne Port.
In Edo, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday, 13th August, recovered 24 bags of skunk weighing 432kg in a bush along Warake-Auchi Road in Etsako West LGA, while 130kg of the same substance was seized at a warehouse in Sobe, Owan West LGA, the following day.
A suspect, Tahiru Madu Manga, 25, was nabbed by NDLEA officers along Zaria-Kano Road with 16kg of skunk, and another suspect, Ibrahim Audu, 47, was arrested with 76kg of the same psychoactive substance at Gadar Tamburawa along Zaria-Kano Road, Kano State, on Wednesday, 13th August.
No fewer than 4,320 ampoules of ketamine injection were intercepted by NDLEA operatives at Gbaji checkpoint along Badagry-Lagos Highway on Monday, 11th August, with a suspect, Akeem Adegun, arrested.
While commending the officers and men of PHPC, Gombe, Kogi, Lagos, Edo, Kano, Delta, Taraba, and Seme Commands for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the agency.
Seven women d!ed while 11 others were injured during a protest in Lamurde Local Government Area of Adamawa State.
According to Daily Trust, the women were protesting what they termed delayed response by the military to calm tensions between Bachama and Chobo communities of the LGA, when the incident occurred on Monday, December 8, 2025.
The women, who were seen holding leaves blocked the movement of troops into the area, accusing security agencies of delayed responses and biased interventions in favour of the Chobo community.
However, during the confrontation, sources said the military allegedly fired shots into the crowd and four of the women d!ed on the spot, while three others d!ed in the hospital. It was further learnt that 11 others, who were injured are currently receiving treatment.
“They came out peacefully, carrying leaves, begging for security, instead, they were met with live gunfire.
“The wounded were rushed to Numan General Hospital, where medical officials say some remain in critical condition,” District Head of Gyawana, a community in Lamurde LGA, Chief Agoso Bamaiyi, said.
Meanwhile, Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri has imposed a 24-hour curfew on Lamurde Local Government Area, following the incident.
The directive was announced on Monday in a statement issued by the Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor, Hussaini Hammangabdo, who confirmed that the governor has instructed security operatives to immediately move into the troubled communities
The statement said Fintiri had ordered security agencies to respond swiftly to the renewed crisis to re-establish stability and prevent further breakdown of law and order.
The Adamawa State Government has imposed a 24-hour curfew on Lamurde Local Government Area with immediate effect following a renewed communal clash that broke out on Sunday evening,” the statement read.
Hammangabdo said security agencies have been directed to move into the area and restore peace and order without delay.
The state government also appealed to residents of Lamurde to remain peaceful and cooperate with the deployed personnel as efforts intensify to contain the situation and avert additional violence.
The fresh violence erupted barely days after Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri brokered a fragile peace deal between the warring Chobo and Bachama groups, according to Dr. Jamila Suleiman, Executive Vice Chairperson of the Adamawa State Peace Commission
When contacted on phone, the police spokesman, Adamawa State Command, S.P. Suleiman Nguroje, confirmed that some people lost their lives and that the injured were taken to a hospital for treatmen
“Actually lives were lost. But for now, we cannot give the total number of people that lost their lives but the injured have been taken to a hospital for treatment,” he said.
Nguroje said that based on the reports he received in the morning, the incident centered within Rugange and neighbouring villages, down to Wadugo
Asked on the cause of the incident, the spokesman said police had been drafted to the area to investigate the root cause, so he will not pre-empt their finding
“I plead that we should give them the opportunity to come out with their findings on what must have triggered the conflict so as to make it known to the members of the public,” he added.
The Kogi State Government has said security operatives have intercepted a group of underage children trafficked into the state in what is suspected to be a covert recruitment attempt for banditry training.
The State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Kingsley Fanwo, who disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, December 9, 2025 said some suspects linked to the trafficking operation were arrested.
“At about 1500hrs on December 5, 2025, eagle-eyed security operatives of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Yagba Area Command, in collaboration with other security agencies in Isanlu, acting on credible intelligence from community hunters, intercepted a truck conveying 21 children aged between six and 17 years into Kogi State,” the commissioner stated.
He said initial investigations revealed that the children were moved from different northern states under suspicious circumstances by adults who could not provide legitimate justification for their movement.
“Several suspects linked to the trafficking operation have been arrested, including individuals who claimed they were transporting the children to establish an informal ‘Islamic school’ within Yagba East,” he said.
Fanwo added that further arrests were made as security operatives intensified surveillance in the area, uncovering additional persons allegedly connected to the movement of the minors.
“Some of the suspects were also found with items raising significant security concerns,” he said, adding that the rescued children had been transferred to the NSCDC State Command in Lokoja for detailed investigation and proper profiling of all persons involved.
He said Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo had directed the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to take full custody of the underage victims, ensure their wellbeing and provide necessary psychosocial support pending the conclusion of investigations.
“Upon completion of profiling and verification, the children will be handed over to their respective state governments for further investigation and eventual reintegration with their families,” he noted.
The commissioner, however, said all individuals found culpable in the trafficking operation would be prosecuted in line with Kogi State’s child trafficking and child rights protection laws.
“The Kogi State Government reiterates its uncompromising stance against child trafficking, criminal infiltration and any form of security threat.
“The administration of Governor Ododo will continue to work closely with security agencies and local communities to safeguard every part of the state,” he added.
A 64-year-old man who worked as a “Santa for hire” in New Jersey, United States, has been arrested after authorities accused him of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material, raising concerns over his repeated interactions with children during holiday events.
As reported by Daily Star on Tuesday, Mark Paulino, of Hamilton Township, was taken into custody on Monday and charged with possession and distribution of child sexual abuse materials, as well as endangering the welfare of a child.
According to Mercer County officials, the investigation began on 4 December 2025, when detectives were alerted to suspicious activity involving the alleged uploading of child pornography from a Hamilton Township residence.
The probe quickly identified Paulino, who had previously worked as a retired elementary school teacher, as the person involved.
Police said Paulino had presented himself online as a retired teacher and had recently performed as Santa Claus for photographs and private, corporate, and organisational events, a role that brought him into repeated contact with children.
“Because this role involved direct, repeated contact with children, detectives worked around the clock to secure a search warrant,” authorities said.
The warrant was executed on 5 December, during which police seized multiple items of evidentiary value, and Paulino was arrested without incident.
Prosecutors have since filed a motion to detain him pending trial, and the investigation is ongoing. Authorities are urging anyone with information to come forward.
