The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested and repatriated Festus Ibewuike, also known as Chidibest Ibewuike, a suspected drug kingpin 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 (MMIA), Lagos.
Ibewuike was among three suspects declared wanted and charged in absentia after NDLEA operatives intercepted what the agency described as the single largest heroin consignment ever recorded at the Lagos airport.
The breakthrough followed a coordinated 12-day operation by operatives of the NDLEA MMIA Strategic Command in February 2024, during which the 49.70kg consignment was discovered concealed inside cartons of metal-cutting machines at the Import Shed of the airport’s cargo terminal.
This was contained in a statement by the NDLEA’s Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Wednesday.
The investigation led to the arrest of several members of the alleged trafficking syndicate, including Ibewuike’s wife, Confidence Ndidiamaka Ibewuike, who the agency said routinely received drug-laden parcels marked with the code “ND” on behalf of her husband.
The operation also resulted in the freezing of 107 bank accounts and the forfeiture of properties allegedly linked to the cartel.
Those arrested were subsequently prosecuted before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court in Lagos in charge number FHC/L/205C/2024.
NDLEA said three suspects Adinnu Felix Chinedu, Osita Emmanuel Obinna and Uzochukwu Frankline have so far been convicted and sentenced.
Three others, Chidiebere Reginald Peter, Ibewuike Ndidiamaka Confidence and Igbokwuputa Onyinye Ireene, remain on trial, while Ibewuike Festus, also known as Chidibest Ibewuike, Osita Chidozie Cyril and one Arinze were charged in absentia.
For more than two years, Ibewuike allegedly evaded arrest by moving between Mozambique and Nigeria through neighbouring Benin Republic.
His run from the law finally ended on September 2, 2026, when actionable intelligence led to his arrest at an airport in Cotonou, Benin Republic.
The NDLEA subsequently worked with INTERPOL authorities in Nigeria and Benin Republic to facilitate his transfer. A team of NDLEA operatives was deployed to Cotonou on September 4 to take custody of the suspect before conveying him to Nigeria to face prosecution.
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 Central Exhibit Store in Ikoyi, Lagos, where the agency said he formally identified the parcels of heroin bearing the “ND” code that investigators had linked to his network.
Further investigations also allegedly linked Ibewuike to an earlier drug case before the Federal High Court in Lagos involving the seizure of 40.255kg of methamphetamine.
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The case, filed under charge number FHC/L/203C/2013, was presided over by Justice Hadiza Rabiu Shagari and involved a suspect identified as Chidi Ihedioha, who was subsequently convicted in 2023.
Reacting to the latest development, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), described Ibewuike’s arrest as a major breakthrough in the agency’s campaign against fleeing drug kingpins.
Marwa vowed that the agency would continue pursuing suspects who attempt to escape justice by fleeing the country.
“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,” Marwa said.
He added that Ibewuike’s arrest, after more than two years in hiding and following an alleged change of identity, should serve as a warning to other suspects still at large.
According to Marwa, “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.”
He said the arrest demonstrated the agency’s determination to pursue suspects beyond Nigeria’s borders and ensure that fleeing drug traffickers are eventually brought before the law.
Marwa also commended the multinational cooperation that facilitated the suspect’s transfer, particularly the Nigerian and Beninese INTERPOL National Central Bureaus, for their role in ensuring the handover was successfully completed.
The NDLEA said the investigation into the alleged trafficking network remains ongoing.