THE operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), have arrested a suspected and notorious major distributor of illicit substances within the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Ibrahim Momoh, popularly known as Ibrahim Bendel.
The NDLEA said the arrest was coming seven years after his escape from prison custody following his conviction for drug dealing.
He was arrested during a raid of his hideout at Filin Dabo, Dei-Dei area of the FCT.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi said Momoh was first arrested on 27th November 2014 with cannabis sativa weighing 385.1kgs, prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to seven and a half years in prison on 22nd July 2015 but while serving his jail term at Kuje, he escaped from prison custody on 16th May 2016.
He said: “Following credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives on 20th November 2022 stormed the warehouse of the fleeing ex-convict, Momoh and recovered 81 jumbo bags of cannabis weighing 1,278kgs.
“The store was located within his poultry farm in Dei-Dei area of the FCT. Though Momoh was not around at the time, his warehouse manager, 55-year-old Ghanaian, Richard Forson Gordon was arrested, prosecuted and sentenced to two years in jail.
“The agency thereafter declared Ibrahim Momoh wanted. The manhunt for the drug lord paid off on 5th November 2023 when operatives again raided his hideout at Filin Dabo, Dei-Dei area of Abuja where he was arrested with 56.9kgs of cannabis sativa and 42.7 grams of Diazepam.”
Also, in another raid in the same area of the FCT on Monday 13th November, a suspect Yusufa Ibrahim, 27, was arrested with 75.3kgs of cannabis.
NDLEA further said a massive operation in the forest of Efon Alaye in Efon local government area of Ekiti state on Saturday 18th November 2023 led to the destruction of 52,500 kilograms of cannabis sativa covering over 21 hectares of farmland while a total of ninety-two bags of same substance weighing 1,380 kilograms were recovered and another 250 bags weighing 3,000kgs stored in different huts on the farm were also burnt.
