NDLEA agent dies in shootout with Bonny Island drug gang

By our reporter 10.2.2026
One agent of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has been killed during a raid on Bonny Island in Rivers State.
According to NDLEA director of media and advocacy Femi Babafemi the incident occurred on February 6 as hoodlums working for the drug gang led by one Genesis George Benson opened fire on NDLEA operatives. Chief Narcotic Agent Sadiq Bako Mujahid was hit.
He said six suspects were arrested and a large quantity of illicit drugs seized during a raid on Ama Hausa, Bonny Island. Illicit drugs recovered include heroin, methamphetamine, skunk, and tramadol.
“An NDLEA personnel, Chief Narcotic Agent Sadiq Bako Mujahid, however, lost his life as a result of severe head injuries sustained when the drug dealers mobilised armed hoodlums to attack operatives during the raid,” Mr. Babafemi said in the statement.
Despite the violent attack, NDLEA operatives successfully apprehended all six suspects, including Benson, who is alleged to have orchestrated the assault that led to Mujahid’s death.
The other suspects arrested were ThankGod Okon, Shamsudden Isah, Muhammed Musa, Adamu Muhammed, and Muhammed Yusuf.
Speaking on the incident, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised the bravery of the operatives.
“I salute the gallantry of our men who refused to be intimidated by these criminal elements. Even after the cowardly attack on Mujahid, our operatives ensured that the assailants were overpowered and arrested, and their illicit substances confiscated. Their sacrifice will not be in vain,” he said.
Marwa also mourned the loss of the officer, describing him as “a disciplined and courageous officer who paid the ultimate price in the service of his fatherland.
“We extend our deepest condolences to his family, his colleagues, and the Rivers State Command,” he said.
He warned that “any attack on our officers is an attack on the state, and it will not go without dire consequences. We remain undeterred in our mission to rid Nigeria of illicit drugs, and we will continue to take the fight to the enclaves of these merchants of death.”