NDLEA, INTERPOL Capture Wanted Suspect Following Joint Investigation

A 52-year-old fugitive, Festus Ibewuike, also known as Chidibest Ibewuike, has been arrested and repatriated by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) over his alleged connection with a 49.70-kilogramme heroin consignment seized at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, in 2024.

Ibewuike was arrested on September 2, 2026, at an airport in Cotonou, Benin Republic, after more than two years of efforts to apprehend him, the agency said, according to reports.

He was thereafter handed over to NDLEA operatives on September 4 through collaboration with the Nigerian and Beninese bureaus of the International Criminal Police Organization and brought back to Nigeria to face prosecution.

The NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.

The case dates back to February 2024 when NDLEA operatives at the Lagos airport intercepted 49.70kg of heroin concealed inside cartons containing metal-cutting machines at the cargo terminal’s Import Shed.

The seizure was the biggest single consignment of heroin recorded at the airport, the agency said.

The NDLEA said the discovery was made after a 12 days’ coordinated operation that led to the arrest of several alleged members of the trafficking network.

Ibewuike’s wife, Confidence Ndidiamaka Ibewuike, was one of those arrested and investigators claimed she routinely received drug consignments with the code “ND” on behalf of her husband.

The agency said investigations into the alleged syndicate also led to the freezing of 107 bank accounts and forfeiture of properties belonging to the group.

Allegations against defendants not yet convicted are pending before the courts.

After the investigation, some suspects were arraigned before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, in Charge No. FHC/L/205C/2024.

The NDLEA said that three of the defendants, Adinnu Felix Chinedu, Osita Emmanuel Obinna and Uzochukwu Frankline have been convicted and sentenced.

Three others, Chidiebere Reginald Peter, Confidence Ndidiamaka Ibewuike and Igbokwuputa Onyinye Ireene, are still on trial, the agency said.

Ibewuike, Osita Chidozie Cyril and a suspect who is only identified as Arinze were charged in absentia after they were not arrested at the time.

The NDLEA accused Ibewuike of fleeing to Mozambique and operating a hotel business there while avoiding Nigerian law enforcement.

Investigators also claimed he sometimes traveled between Mozambique and Nigeria via neighboring Benin Republic.

The agency said intelligence about his movements eventually led to his arrest in Cotonou on September 2.

NDLEA said it later collaborated with INTERPOL authorities in Nigeria and Benin Republic to effect the transfer of custody as a team of its operatives traveled to Cotonou on September 4 to receive him.

The suspect, who changed his name from Chidibest Ibewuike to Festus Ibewuike, confirmed his identity during preliminary questioning after his return, the agency said.

The NDLEA said it moved Ibewuike to its Central Exhibit Store in Ikoyi on September 5.

There, the agency said, he identified parcels of heroin with the “ND” marking investigators had tied to him.

“These claims are part of the NDLEA’s investigation and would be subject to the judicial process.

The anti-narcotics agency further said its investigation revealed Ibewuike’s alleged connection with an earlier case involving the seizure of 40.255kg of methamphetamine.

Justice Hadiza Rabiu Shagari of the Federal High Court, Lagos heard the case, Charge No. FHC/L/203C/2013.

The NDLEA said the proceedings involved one Chidi Ihedioha, who was finally convicted in 2023.

The agency did not say in its Wednesday statement that Ibewuike himself was convicted in connection with that earlier case.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the arrest of Ibewuike as a significant breakthrough in the agency’s efforts to apprehend wanted drug suspects.

Marwa said: “This arrest is a major breakthrough in our determination 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 warned other suspects wanted by the agency that leaving the country would not stop efforts to bring them before the courts.

He added, “As I have always promised, the long arm of the NDLEA will catch up with anybody engaged in this illicit trade, no matter how long it takes or how far they run.”

Marwa, who alluded to the latest case, said, “Festus Ibewuike ran for more than two years, hiding under a change of name and a new life abroad, but today he is back in Nigeria to face the 49.70kg heroin seizure linked to his network.”

The arrest should serve as a warning to the other wanted suspects, he added, “The Agency will not relent until every one of you is brought to book.”

Marwa also praised the cooperation between Nigerian and Beninese authorities, especially the INTERPOL National Central Bureaus of both countries, which led to Ibewuike’s arrest and transfer to Nigeria.