The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested and returned to Nigeria a suspected drug kingpin linked to a 49.70kg heroin consignment seized at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, in 2024.
The agency disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
The suspect, 52-year-old Festus Ibewuike, also known as Chidibest Ibewuike, was arrested at the airport in Cotonou, Benin Republic, on September 2, 2026, following intelligence that helped security operatives track him down.
According to the NDLEA, Ibewuike had been moving between Mozambique and Nigeria through Benin Republic in an effort to evade arrest.
He had reportedly relocated to Mozambique, where he ran a hotel business allegedly used as a cover.
Following his arrest, the NDLEA collaborated with INTERPOL authorities in Nigeria and Benin Republic to facilitate his return. A team of NDLEA operatives travelled to Cotonou on September 4 to take custody of him and subsequently brought him back to Nigeria.
Ibewuike was declared wanted after the NDLEA intercepted 49.70kg of heroin concealed inside cartons of metal-cutting machines at the Import Shed of the MMIA cargo terminal in February 2024.
The seizure came after a 12-day investigation that resulted in the arrest of other members of the suspected trafficking network, including Ibewuike’s wife, Confidence Ndidiamaka Ibewuike.
The agency alleged that she regularly received parcels containing drugs and marked with the code “ND” on behalf of her husband.
The operation also led to the freezing of 107 bank accounts and the forfeiture of properties allegedly connected to the cartel.
The suspects were subsequently charged before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, in charge number FHC/L/205C/2024.
Three of the 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 remain on trial.
Ibewuike had earlier been charged in absentia alongside Osita Chidozie Cyril and another suspect identified as Arinze. During preliminary questioning after his arrest, he confirmed his identity and disclosed that he had changed his name from Chidibest Ibewuike to Festus Ibewuike.
The NDLEA said he was taken to its Central Exhibit Store in Ikoyi, Lagos, on September 5, where he “formally identified the parcels of heroin, bearing the ‘ND’ code, established to be linked to him.”
Reacting to the development, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the arrest as evidence of the agency’s determination to pursue wanted 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 also commended the Nigerian and Beninese INTERPOL National Central Bureaus for their assistance in facilitating the transfer of custody and return of the suspect to Nigeria.
