Ibrahim Momoh, better known as Ibrahim Bendel, a suspected drug lord and an ex-convict, has been declared wanted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
NDLEA’s media and advocacy director, Femi Babafemi disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
He noted that the anti-narcotics agency recovered 81 jumbo bags of cannabis weighing 1,278kg from Ibrahim Bendel who escaped from prison custody to return to his criminal trade.
Babafemi explained that the suspect’s warehouse keeper, a 55-year-old Ghanaian identified as Richard Forson Gordon was also arrested.
He said, “In Abuja, operatives stormed the warehouse of a notorious drug lord and an ex-convict, Ibrahim Momoh, alias ‘Ibrahim Bendel’ who escaped from prison custody to return to his criminal trade and recovered 81 jumbo bags of cannabis weighing 1,278kg.
“Though the fleeing drug dealer is still at large and is wanted by the Agency, his warehouse keeper, 55-year-old Ghanaian, Richard Forson Gordon was arrested.
“Ibrahim Momoh was first arrested on 27th November, 2014 with the same substance weighing 385.1kg, prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to seven and a half years in prison on 22nd of April, 2020 but escaped from jail after three months.
“Meanwhile, no fewer than 2,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup were seized in a commercial bus by operatives on Friday, 2nd December along the Lokoja-Abuja expressway.
“In another development, in Rivers state, operatives on Saturday, December 3 arrested a 29-year-old pregnant woman, Kate Ibinabo with 34.4kg cannabis sativa in Okrika area of the state. The Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd).
“Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), CON, OFR, has however directed that she be granted administrative bail pending when she’s delivered of her baby and thereafter return for her prosecution because, at the time of her arrest, she’s in her ninth month of pregnancy.
“In Ondo state, 241 bags of the psychoactive substance with a gross weight of 3,133kg were recovered from a building at Ilale Cashew, Ehinogbe, Owo, on Tuesday, 29th Nov. At least, 507.9kg of cannabis were also seized during a raid at the hideout of a fleeing drug dealer in Mushin area of Lagos on Thursday 1st Dec.
“In Cross River, 53 jumbo bags of C/S weighing 567.05kg were seized from three suspects: Bassey Boniface Eyibio, 38; Effiong Akiba Etim, 30 and Ngbong Raymond, 45 at Mpara junction, Odukpani LGA on Thursday, 1st Dec while conveying the consignment in a bus marked CKK 74 AA.
“Operatives equally arrested another suspect, Ali Mohammed along Potiskum- Damaturu road after they found 29,090 tablets of tramadol in his personal Honda car marked ABC 914 RW coming from Gombe to Damaturu, Yobe state.
“While commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Rivers, Ondo, Lagos, Cross River and Yobe Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures, Gen. Marwa charged them and their counterparts across other formations to continue to step up their offensives against drug cartels,” the statement added.