Seven years after escaping prison, NDLEA hunts, arrests notorious drug kingpin
A well-known drug dealer in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Ibrahim Momoh, also known as Ibrahim Bendel, has been apprehended by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) after seven years on the run.
Momoh was arrested during a raid of his hideout in the Dei-Dei area of Abuja, where he had been distributing illicit substances.
He was prosecuted, convicted, and sentenced to seven and a half years in prison on July 22, 2015. Despite being behind bars, Momoh’s name continued to strike fear in the hearts of many.
His influence and network of drug dealers were still active, and he was considered a kingpin in the Abuja drug scene.
However, his luck ran out when he escaped from prison custody seven years ago. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has been on the hunt for Momoh ever since.
Finally, their efforts paid off when they raided his hideout at Filin Dabo, Dei-Dei area of Abuja.
Momoh was apprehended, and his reign of terror has come to an end.
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The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, confirmed the arrest in a statement on Sunday. Momoh’s capture is a significant victory for the agency, and it sends a clear message to other drug dealers that they will not escape justice.
While serving his jail term at Kuje, he escaped from prison custody on 16th May 2016.
However, 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 the Dei-Dei area of the FCT.
Though Momoh was not around at the time, his warehouse manager, a 55-year-old Ghanaian, Richard Forson Gordon, was arrested, prosecuted and sentenced to two years in jail.
The Agency thereafter declared 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.
Meanwhile, 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.