The calm of the coastal night was shattered in Ibaka as the Akwa Ibom State Police Command launched a decisive midnight crackdown on criminal hideouts at the Ibaka Fishing Port, arresting 23 suspects and carting away large quantities of suspected illicit drugs and other dangerous substances.
The coordinated, intelligence-driven raid—executed between 9:40 p.m. on Wednesday, February 5, and 12:15 a.m. on Thursday, February 6—targeted notorious black spots within the Ibaka axis long believed to harbour drug dealers and criminal elements.
Police operatives swept through multiple locations, netting suspects identified as Sampson Newstyle, Godgift Benabinte, Michael Asukwo, Prince Ene, Goodnews Asukwo, Golden Edu, alongside 17 others, in what security sources described as one of the Command’s most impactful operations in recent weeks.
Recovered exhibits included large commercial quantities of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp, chemically enhanced variants of the substance, illicit locally brewed drinks, and various containers and devices allegedly used for inhaling hard drugs—evidence, police said, of entrenched criminal activity in the area.
The Command confirmed that investigations are ongoing to unravel the full extent of the suspects’ involvement and to track down other members of the drug network operating around the busy fishing port.
Reassuring residents and traders, police authorities said the Ibaka axis remains calm, with enhanced patrols and round-the-clock surveillance now in place to prevent any resurgence of crime.
In a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, Timfon John, the Command restated its zero-tolerance stance on drug abuse, trafficking, and criminality, warning that sustained intelligence-led operations will continue across Akwa Ibom State until all criminal black spots are completely dismantled.
The message from Ibaka was clear: the night now belongs to the law.
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