In line with Brig. General Mohamed Buba Marwa’s (Rtd) uncompromising stance that drug barons can only run but never hide, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully orchestrated the arrest and repatriation of Festus Ibewuike (alias Chidibest Ibewuike). The fugitive drug kingpin had evaded law enforcement for over two years following the interception of the single largest heroin consignment ever recorded at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.
Ibewuike, who fled to Mozambique and operated a hotel business as a front, was one of three suspects declared wanted and charged in absentia.
His evasion began after operatives of the Agency’s MMIA Strategic Command intercepted 49.70kg of heroin during a coordinated 12-day operation in February 2024. The contraband was found concealed in cartons of metal-cutting machines at the Import Shed of the airport’s cargo terminal.
A statement released on Wednesday by the Agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, revealed that the initial crack operation dismantled key members of the syndicate, including the kingpin’s wife, Confidence Ndidiamaka Ibewuike, who routinely received drug-laden parcels marked with the tracking code “ND” on his behalf.
The sweeping investigation also triggered the freezing of 107 bank accounts and the forfeiture of choice properties linked to the cartel.
The captured accomplices were subsequently arraigned before Hon. Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos (Charge No. FHC/L/205C/2024).
Three syndicate members have already been convicted and sentenced: Adinnu Felix Chinedu, Osita Emmanuel Obinna, and Uzochukwu Frankline. Meanwhile, Chidiebere Reginald Peter, Ibewuike Ndidiamaka Confidence, and Igbokwuputa Onyinye Ireene are currently standing trial. Festus Ibewuike, Osita Chidozie Cyril, and an accomplice identified simply as Arinze were originally charged in absentia.
For over two years, Ibewuike survived as an international fugitive, secretly shuttling between Mozambique and Nigeria via the neighboring Benin Republic to outmaneuver Nigerian authorities.
That calculated run ended abruptly following high-yield actionable intelligence. Ibewuike was cornered and arrested at the Cotonou airport in Benin Republic on Wednesday, 2 September 2026.
Working in seamless synergy with INTERPOL bureaus in both Nigeria and Benin Republic, the NDLEA secured his formal handover to a specialized team of operatives deployed to Cotonou on Friday, 4 September 2026.
He was immediately extradited to Nigeria to face justice for his role in the transnational trafficking syndicate.
During preliminary interrogations, the 52-year-old kingpin confirmed his identity and confessed to changing his name from Chidibest Ibewuike to Festus Ibewuike to mask his tracks. On Saturday, 5 September 2026, he was escorted to the Agency’s Central Exhibit Store in Ikoyi, Lagos, where he formally identified the specific parcels of heroin bearing the “ND” code linked to his network.
Deep-dive profiling further exposed Ibewuike’s deep roots in narcotics trafficking.
He had previously been linked to another major drug case before the Federal High Court, Lagos, presided over by Hon. Justice Hadiza Rabiu Shagari (Charge No. FHC/L/203C/2013), involving the seizure of 40.255kg of methamphetamine.
That case featured anassociate, Chidi Ihedioha, who was convicted by the court in 2023.
Reacting to the high-profile capture, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), hailed the arrest as a monumental breakthrough in the agency’s relentless war against fleeing drug barons.
“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 declared.
“As I have always vowed, 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. Festus Ibewuike ran for over two years, hiding under a change of name and a new life abroad, but today he is back in Nigeria to answer for the 49.70kg heroin seizure linked to his network. This should serve as a fresh warning to fleeing suspects still at large: the Agency will not relent until every one of you is brought to book.’’
The NDLEA boss highly commended the excellent multinational intelligence cooperation that enabled the operation, extending special praise to the Nigerian and Beninese INTERPOL National Central Bureaus for executing a flawless transfer of custody.
