The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested and repatriated Festus Ibewuike, alias Chidibest Ibewuike, a fugitive drug kingpin who had remained on the run for more than two years following the interception of 49.70kg of heroin at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
Ibewuike was among three suspects declared wanted and charged in absentia after NDLEA operatives at the MMIA Strategic Command intercepted the heroin consignment during a coordinated 12-day operation in February 2024.
The drugs, described by the Agency as the single largest heroin consignment ever recorded at the Lagos airport, were concealed in cartons of metal-cutting machines at the Import Shed of the airport’s cargo terminal.
The operation led to the arrest of several key members of the trafficking syndicate, including Ibewuike’s wife, Confidence Ndidiamaka Ibewuike, who allegedly routinely received drug-laden parcels marked with the code “ND” on his behalf.
The NDLEA also said the investigation resulted in the freezing of 107 bank accounts and the forfeiture of properties linked to the alleged drug cartel.
The suspects were subsequently charged before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, in charge number FHC/L/205C/2024.
Three of the suspects — Adinnu Felix Chinedu, Osita Emmanuel Obinna and Uzochukwu Frankline — have so far been convicted and sentenced by the court.
Three others, Chidiebere Reginald Peter, Ibewuike Ndidiamaka Confidence and Igbokwuputa Onyinye Ireene, are still standing trial, while three suspects were charged in absentia. They are Ibewuike Festus, also known as Ibewuike Chidibest; Osita Chidozie Cyril; and one Arinze.
For more than two years, Ibewuike allegedly moved between Mozambique and Nigeria through neighbouring Benin Republic in an attempt to evade arrest. His run, however, came to an end following actionable intelligence that led to his arrest at an airport in Cotonou, Benin Republic, on Wednesday, September 2, 2026.
The NDLEA said it worked with INTERPOL in Nigeria and Benin Republic to facilitate his handover to a team of its operatives deployed to Cotonou on Friday, September 4. He was subsequently brought back to Nigeria to answer questions over his alleged role in the trafficking syndicate.
During preliminary interviews, the 52-year-old suspect confirmed his identity and disclosed that he had changed his name from Chidibest Ibewuike to Festus Ibewuike.
On Saturday, September 5, 2026, he was taken to the NDLEA’s Central Exhibit Store in Ikoyi, Lagos, where he formally identified the parcels of heroin bearing the “ND” code, which the Agency said had been established as being linked to him.
Further investigation also linked Ibewuike to an earlier drug-related case before the Federal High Court, Lagos, presided over by Justice Hadiza Rabiu Shagari. The case, filed under charge number FHC/L/203C/2013, involved the seizure of 40.255kg of methamphetamine.
The case involved one Chidi Ihedioha, who was subsequently convicted by the court in 2023.
Reacting to the arrest, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), 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 Nigeria to evade prosecution would still be pursued, regardless of how long they remain at large or how far they travel.
He also warned other fleeing suspects still at large that the NDLEA would continue its pursuit until they are brought before the law.
The NDLEA Chairman commended the multinational cooperation that facilitated Ibewuike’s arrest and repatriation, particularly the Nigerian and Beninese INTERPOL National Central Bureaus for their role in ensuring a smooth transfer of custody.
The arrest brings to an end more than two years of evasion for one of the suspects linked to the major 49.70kg heroin seizure, as the NDLEA continues its efforts to bring other fleeing members of the alleged trafficking network to justice.
