The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested and repatriated a 52-year-old suspected drug kingpin, Festus Ibewuike, alias Chidibest Ibewuike, after more than two years on the run.
Ibewuike was declared wanted after the NDLEA intercepted 49.70kg of heroin at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, in February 2024—the agency’s largest single heroin seizure recorded at the airport.
The suspect had reportedly relocated to Mozambique, where he operated a hotel business as a cover while allegedly coordinating his illicit activities.
He was among three suspects charged in absentia after NDLEA operatives, during a coordinated 12-day operation, intercepted the heroin concealed in cartons of metal-cutting machines at the Import Shed of the airport’s cargo terminal.
The operation also led to the arrest of key members of the alleged syndicate, including Ibewuike’s wife, Confidence Ndidiamaka Ibewuike, who allegedly received drug-laden parcels marked with the code “ND” on his behalf.
The NDLEA subsequently froze 107 bank accounts and secured the forfeiture of properties allegedly 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 since been convicted and sentenced.
Three others—Chidiebere Reginald Peter, Ibewuike Ndidiamaka Confidence and Igbokwuputa Onyinye Ireene—are still standing trial, while Ibewuike Festus, 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 attempt to evade arrest.
His run finally ended on September 2, 2026, when actionable intelligence led to his arrest at an airport in Cotonou, Benin Republic.
Working with INTERPOL authorities in Nigeria and Benin, the NDLEA secured his handover to a team of its operatives deployed to Cotonou on September 4. He was subsequently brought back to Nigeria to face prosecution over his alleged role in the trafficking syndicate.
During preliminary questioning, Ibewuike 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 he formally identified the heroin parcels bearing the “ND” code allegedly linked to his network.
Further investigation 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, presided over by Justice Hadiza Rabiu Shagari, involved one Chidi Ihedioha, who was 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 fleeing drug kingpins.
Marwa said the arrest demonstrated that suspects who flee Nigeria cannot escape justice indefinitely.
He added that the NDLEA would continue to pursue wanted drug traffickers regardless of how long they remained at large or where they sought refuge.
“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 commended the multinational cooperation that facilitated Ibewuike’s arrest and transfer, particularly the Nigerian and Beninese INTERPOL National Central Bureaus.
Marwa warned other fleeing suspects still at large that the NDLEA would not relent until they were brought to book.