Thursday, September 10, 2026 - The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested and
brought back to Nigeria the suspected kingpin behind the 49.70kg heroin
shipment intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, in
2024.
The NDLEA disclosed this in a statement signed by its
Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in Abuja on Wednesday.
The suspect, 52-year-old Festus Ibewuike, also known as
Chidibest Ibewuike, was “arrested at the airport in Cotonou, Benin Republic on
Wednesday 2nd September 2026” after actionable intelligence led security
operatives to him.
The arrest ended Ibewuike’s attempt to evade the authorities
by moving between Mozambique and Nigeria through Benin Republic. The NDLEA said
he had relocated to Mozambique, where he operated a hotel business as a front.
After his arrest, the agency worked with INTERPOL in Nigeria
and Benin Republic to secure his return. According to the NDLEA, “a team of
NDLEA operatives” was deployed to Cotonou on Friday, September 4, to take
custody of him before he was conveyed to Nigeria.
Ibewuike had
been declared wanted after the NDLEA seized 49.70kg of heroin concealed in
cartons of metal-cutting machines at the Import Shed of the MMIA cargo terminal
in February 2024.
The seizure
followed a 12-day operation which also led to the arrest of members of the
alleged trafficking syndicate, including Ibewuike’s wife, Confidence Ndidiamaka
Ibewuike. The agency said she routinely received drug-laden parcels marked with
the code “ND” on his behalf.
The
operation also resulted in the freezing of 107 bank accounts and the forfeiture
of properties linked to the cartel.
The suspects
were charged before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court,
Ikoyi, Lagos, in charge number FHC/L/205C/2024.
Three
suspects — Adinnu Felix Chinedu, Osita Emmanuel Obinna and Uzochukwu Frankline
— have been convicted and sentenced, while Chidiebere Reginald Peter, Ibewuike
Ndidiamaka Confidence and Igbokwuputa Onyinye Ireene are still standing trial.
Ibewuike,
who was charged in absentia alongside Osita Chidozie Cyril and another suspect
identified as Arinze, later confirmed his identity during preliminary
interviews and told investigators that he had changed his name from Chidibest
Ibewuike to Festus Ibewuike.
The agency
said the suspect was taken to its Central Exhibit Store in Ikoyi, Lagos, on
Saturday, September 5, where he “formally identified the parcels of heroin,
bearing the ‘ND’ code, established to be linked to him.”
Reacting to
the arrest, the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed
Buba Marwa (retd.), said the development demonstrated the agency’s
determination to apprehend fleeing drug suspects.
Marwa said,
“This arrest is a major breakthrough in our resolve to track down and bring to
justice every drug baron who thinks that fleeing Nigeria’s shores puts them
beyond the reach of the law.”
He added,
“The long arm of the NDLEA will catch up with anyone involved in this illicit
trade, no matter how long it takes or how far they run.”
Marwa
commended the Nigerian and Beninese INTERPOL National Central Bureaus for their
role in facilitating the suspect’s transfer of custody.
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