NDLEA Arrests Fugitive Drug Kingpin After Two Years on the Run

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested and repatriated a suspected drug kingpin, Festus Ibewuike, also known as Chidibest Ibewuike, more than two years after he allegedly fled Nigeria following the seizure of 49.70 kilogrammes of heroin at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

The arrest was disclosed in a statement on Wednesday by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.

According to the agency, Ibewuike was one of three suspects declared wanted and charged in absentia following the interception of the heroin consignment in February 2024.

The 49.70kg consignment, concealed in cartons of metal-cutting machines, was intercepted at the import shed of the airport’s cargo terminal during a 12-day operation by operatives of the NDLEA’s MMIA Strategic Command.

The agency described the seizure as the single largest heroin consignment ever recorded at the Lagos airport.

Ibewuike allegedly fled Nigeria after the operation and relocated to Mozambique, where he reportedly operated a hotel business as a cover while continuing to evade law enforcement.

His wife, Confidence Ndidiamaka Ibewuike, was among those arrested in connection with the syndicate. The NDLEA said she routinely received drug-laden parcels marked with the code “ND” on behalf of her husband.

The investigation also resulted in the freezing of 107 bank accounts and the forfeiture of properties allegedly linked to the drug cartel.

The NDLEA said three suspects — Adinnu Felix Chinedu, Osita Emmanuel Obinna and Uzochukwu Frankline — have since been convicted and sentenced by the Federal High Court, Lagos.

Three other suspects, identified as Chidiebere Reginald Peter, Ibewuike Ndidiamaka Confidence and Igbokwuputa Onyinye Ireene, are still standing trial.

Ibewuike, alongside Osita Chidozie Cyril and another suspect identified as Arinze, had been charged in absentia.

After more than two years on the run, the suspected kingpin was eventually arrested at the airport in Cotonou, Benin Republic, on September 2, 2026, following actionable intelligence.

The NDLEA said the operation was carried out with the assistance of INTERPOL authorities in Nigeria and Benin Republic.

A team of NDLEA operatives was subsequently deployed to Cotonou on September 4 to take custody of Ibewuike and convey him back to Nigeria to face the allegations against him.

During preliminary questioning, the 52-year-old suspect reportedly confirmed his identity and disclosed that he had changed his name from Chidibest Ibewuike to Festus Ibewuike.

On September 5, he was taken to the NDLEA’s Central Exhibit Store in Ikoyi, Lagos, where the agency said he formally identified parcels of heroin bearing the “ND” code, which investigators linked to his alleged network.

The NDLEA further disclosed that Ibewuike had previously been associated with another drug-related case involving the seizure of 40.255kg of methamphetamine before the Federal High Court in Lagos.

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

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

He also commended the Nigerian and Beninese INTERPOL National Central Bureaus for their cooperation in facilitating the suspect’s transfer of custody.

The NDLEA said Ibewuike has been brought back to Nigeria to answer for his alleged role in the 49.70kg heroin trafficking operation.

The development underscores the agency’s renewed efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks, track fleeing suspects and recover assets allegedly linked to illicit drug proceeds.