NDLEA arrests fugitive drug kingpin over 49.7kg heroin seizure

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested and repatriated a suspected drug kingpin, Festus Ibewuike, also known as Chidibest Ibewuike, after more than two years on the run over his alleged involvement in the trafficking of 49.70kg of heroin seized at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, saying Ibewuike was arrested at the airport in Cotonou, Benin Republic, on September 2, 2026, following actionable intelligence.

He said the suspect was handed over to NDLEA operatives deployed to Cotonou on September 4 through collaboration between the Agency and the INTERPOL National Central Bureaus of Nigeria and Benin Republic.

Ibewuike was subsequently brought to Nigeria to face charges over his alleged role in the syndicate linked to the heroin consignment, which was intercepted in February 2024.

According to Babafemi, the seizure was the largest single heroin consignment recorded at the Lagos international airport.

He said Ibewuike was among three suspects declared wanted and charged in absentia after a 12-day operation by the NDLEA MMIA Strategic Command uncovered the heroin concealed inside cartons of metal-cutting machines at the airport’s cargo terminal.

Babafemi said investigations showed that Ibewuike had relocated to Mozambique, where he allegedly operated a hotel business as a cover while evading arrest.

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The operation also led to the arrest of other suspected members of the syndicate, including his wife, Confidence Ndidiamaka Ibewuike, who allegedly received drug-laden parcels bearing the code “ND” on behalf of her husband.

The NDLEA said 107 bank accounts were frozen and properties linked to the alleged drug cartel forfeited as part of the investigation.

Three suspects—Adinnu Felix Chinedu, Osita Emmanuel Obinna and Uzochukwu Frankline—have so far been convicted and sentenced by the Federal High Court in Lagos, while three others remain on trial.

Babafemi said Ibewuike, 52, confirmed his identity during preliminary questioning and disclosed that he had changed his name from Chidibest Ibewuike to Festus Ibewuike.

On September 5, he was taken to the NDLEA Central Exhibit Store in Ikoyi, Lagos, where he allegedly identified heroin parcels bearing the “ND” code linked to the investigation.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the arrest as a major breakthrough in the Agency’s efforts to track down fleeing drug traffickers.

Marwa said the arrest demonstrated that suspects who flee Nigeria would not remain beyond the reach of law enforcement.

He commended the Nigerian and Beninese INTERPOL offices for facilitating the arrest and transfer of the suspect, while warning other fleeing suspects that the NDLEA would continue pursuing them regardless of how long they remained at large.