Operatives of a Special Operations Unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a wanted drug baron, Frank Chijioke Ibemesi (alias Chisco Bee), who parades himself as a businessman and hotelier.
Ibemesi, 42, the MD/CEO of Franc CJ Ibemesi Nig. Ltd., was apprehended after weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance on his criminal activities at his Daisy Garden Hotel, 66-68 Agbeke Street, Ago Palace Way, Isolo Lagos in the early hours of Saturday, November 15, 2025. Consequently, he was taken to his warehouse at 7, Pius Ezeobi Street, off Ago Palace Way, Isolo, where the NDLEA operatives recovered 42 jumbo bags and four cartoons of Loud (a strain of cannabis) weighing 1,762.8 kilograms.
According to a statement made available to ThelensNG by the Director of Media and Advocacy of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, foreign currencies were also seized from Ibemesi, including $11,600 (US); £2,000 (British Pounds); €2,200 (Euros), and 50 Canadian dollars, all in cash.
In a related development, the NDLEA thwarted an attempt by a drug syndicate operating at Orita-Apeje, Araromi-Okeodo Forest Reserve in Ife South LGA, Osun State, to load and distribute across the country large quantities of processed skunk (a strain of cannabis) weighing a total of 11,135 kilograms on Tuesday, November 11.
The attempt was foiled after days of surveillance in the forest, and two trucks being used to transport the illicit consignments — a Volvo truck marked WWR 29 XA and a Mercedes truck with registration number AWK 713 YZ were seized, while seven suspects were arrested. The seven individuals apprehended in connection with the seizure are Lucky Abiodun, Julius Amos, Victor Ngbikili, Sunday Oduegwu, Ibrahim Akanni, Eze Godstime, and Fred Ifeanyichukwu.
Elsewhere (Edo State), a total of 1,902.1 kilograms of skunk were recovered in various parts of the state, while 184.1kg was recovered along a bush path at Oza/Igbanke Road, Igbanke, in Orhionmwon LGA on Thursday, November 13. Similarly, 672kg was evacuated from Utese forest, Ovia North East LGA on Friday, November 14, with 494kg recovered from a Mercedes Benz car marked DE311BEN along Benin-Akure Road, where a suspect Felix Edah, 45, was arrested same day.
A man identified as Lucky Abagha, 51, was also nabbed in another Mercedes Benz car marked JJJ 56 JW conveying 552kg.
Four suspects — Micheal Okoh, Offor Agada, Raphael Nkemjika, and Nwabueze Franklin were arrested with 68kg skunk and 3.150kg methamphetamine along Ijebu-Ode Expressway in Ogun State, while Danjuma Tukura, 50, was nabbed with 172kg skunk at Sunkani area of Ardo Kola LGA, Taraba State on Friday, November 14. Another suspect Wisdom Titus, 24, was equally arrested with 84kg of same substance at Takum area of the state.
In Adamawa State, NDLEA operatives on Friday, November 14, recovered 396,000 capsules of tramadol from a suspect Ahmed Isyaku Nda, 50, at Aliyu Mustapha International Airport Yola, while 785kg of skunk was evacuated from the warehouse of a drug dealer currently at large at Asob Maraba Karu, Nasarawa State.
The statement added: “Two suspects: Jamiu Kunle Kardoso and Oriyomi Waliu were on Friday 14th November arrested with 130 pouches of Canadian Loud weighing 65.150kg in Surulere area of Lagos, just as Taofeek Moraina was nabbed same day with 282 blocks of Ghana Loud with a gross weight of 141kg at Otto, Oyingbo area of Lagos.
“In Kwara State, NDLEA operatives on Thursday 13th November intercepted a truck marked T- 0262KT along Ilorin – Jebba Expressway conveying 197 blocks of skunk weighing 78.565kg and 155 cartons of rubber solutions. The truck driver Umar Yakubu was taken into custody. In another operation, a commercial bus with registration number KJA- 657CY was intercepted at Eiyenkonrin, Ilorin on Wednesday 12th November with 20 blocks of skunk concealed in a 50-litre jerry can recovered and the driver Ibrahim Bello arrested.”
Commenting on the arrests and seizures, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended the officers and men of the SOU, Osun, Lagos, Edo, Ogun, Taraba, Adamawa, Nasarawa, and Kwara Commands for their commitment and professionalism.
Marwa urged them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.
