The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested and repatriated a suspected drug kingpin, Festus Ibewuike, also known as Chidibest Ibewuike, who had been on the run for more than two years following the seizure of 49.70kg of heroin at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
Ibewuike was arrested at the airport in Cotonou, Benin Republic, on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, following actionable intelligence and a coordinated operation involving the NDLEA and INTERPOL authorities in Nigeria and Benin.
According to the agency, the suspect had relocated to Mozambique, where he allegedly operated a hotel business as a cover while continuing to evade law enforcement authorities.
He was subsequently transferred to a team of NDLEA operatives who travelled to Cotonou on Friday, September 4, before being brought back to Nigeria to face charges over his alleged involvement in the drug trafficking syndicate.
Ibewuike was among three suspects declared wanted and charged in absentia after NDLEA operatives attached to the MMIA Strategic Command intercepted 49.70kg of heroin concealed in cartons of metal-cutting machines at the airport’s cargo terminal in February 2024.
The operation lasted 12 days and led to the arrest of several alleged members of the syndicate, including Ibewuike’s wife, Confidence Ndidiamaka Ibewuike.
The agency said Confidence allegedly received parcels containing drugs on behalf of her husband, with the consignments marked with the code “ND.”
The investigation also resulted in the freezing of 107 bank accounts and the forfeiture of properties allegedly linked to the drug cartel.
The suspects were subsequently arraigned before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, in charge number FHC/L/205C/2024.
NDLEA said three suspects — Adinnu Felix Chinedu, Osita Emmanuel Obinna and Uzochukwu Frankline — had 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 — Ibewuike Festus, also known as Chidibest Ibewuike; Osita Chidozie Cyril; and one Arinze — were charged in absentia.
For more than two years, Ibewuike allegedly moved between Mozambique and Nigeria through neighbouring Benin Republic in an effort to avoid arrest.
His alleged flight came to an end after intelligence gathered by the NDLEA led to his arrest in Cotonou.
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 Saturday, September 5, he was taken to the NDLEA Central Exhibit Store in Ikoyi, Lagos, where he formally identified the heroin parcels bearing the “ND” code that the agency said were linked to his network.
Further investigations also linked Ibewuike to an earlier drug case before the Federal High Court in Lagos involving the seizure of 40.255kg of methamphetamine.
The case, filed under charge number FHC/L/203C/2013 and presided over by Justice Hadiza Rabiu Shagari, involved a suspect identified as Chidi Ihedioha, who was eventually convicted by the court in 2023.
Reacting to the arrest, 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 suspected drug kingpins who flee the country.
Marwa said the arrest demonstrated that suspects involved in illicit drug trafficking could not permanently escape prosecution by leaving Nigeria.
“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 said.
The NDLEA chairman added that the agency would continue to pursue wanted suspects regardless of how long they remained in hiding or how far they travelled.
He said Ibewuike’s return to Nigeria after more than two years should serve as a warning to other wanted suspects still at large.
Marwa also commended the multinational cooperation that facilitated the arrest and transfer of the suspect, particularly the INTERPOL National Central Bureaus in Nigeria and Benin Republic.
He said the collaboration was crucial to ensuring the successful transfer of Ibewuike into NDLEA custody and his subsequent repatriation to Nigeria to face the allegations against him.
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