…Suspect arrested in Benin Republic after over two years on the run
By Adebola Muili
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 over two years following the seizure of 49.70kg of heroin at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
According to a statement issued by the NDLEA on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, Ibewuike was arrested at the airport in Cotonou, Benin Republic, on Wednesday, September 2, following actionable intelligence.
The 52-year-old suspect was subsequently handed over to a team of NDLEA operatives deployed to Cotonou on Friday, September 4, after the Agency worked with the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) in Nigeria and Benin Republic to facilitate his transfer.
The NDLEA said Ibewuike had relocated to Mozambique, where he allegedly operated a hotel business as a front, while shuttling between Mozambique and Nigeria through neighbouring Benin Republic in an attempt to evade arrest.
He was one of three suspects declared wanted and charged in absentia following a 12-day operation by operatives of the Agency’s MMIA Strategic Command in February 2024.
The operation resulted in the interception of 49.70kg of heroin concealed in cartons of metal-cutting machines at the Import Shed of the airport’s cargo terminal.
The agency described the seizure as the single largest heroin consignment ever recorded at the airport.
The investigation also led to the arrest of key members of the alleged trafficking syndicate, including Ibewuike’s wife, Confidence Ndidiamaka Ibewuike, who the NDLEA said routinely received drug-laden parcels marked with the code “ND” on his behalf.
The agency further said 107 bank accounts linked to the syndicate were frozen, while properties allegedly connected to the cartel were forfeited.
The suspects were subsequently charged before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, in charge number FHC/L/205C/2024.
The NDLEA said three of the 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 — are still standing trial, while Ibewuike, Osita Chidozie Cyril and another suspect identified as Arinze were charged in absentia.
Following his return to Nigeria, Ibewuike, during preliminary interviews, confirmed his identity and disclosed that he had changed his name from Chidibest Ibewuike to Festus Ibewuike.
On Saturday, September 5, he was taken to the Agency’s Central Exhibit Store in Ikoyi, Lagos, where he formally identified parcels of heroin bearing the “ND” code which the NDLEA said had been linked to him.
The agency also disclosed that further investigation revealed Ibewuike’s previous association with another drug-related case before the Federal High Court, Lagos, involving the seizure of 40.255kg of methamphetamine.
The case, filed as FHC/L/203C/2013 and presided over by Justice Hadiza Rabiu Shagari, involved one Chidi Ihedioha, who was subsequently convicted in 2023.
Reacting to the development, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the arrest as a major breakthrough in the Agency’s efforts to track down fleeing drug suspects.
“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 the arrest should serve as a warning to other fleeing suspects still at large.
“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,” he said.
Marwa commended the Nigerian and Beninese INTERPOL National Central Bureaus for their cooperation in ensuring the successful transfer of custody.
He vowed that the NDLEA would continue its pursuit of fleeing suspects until they are brought to book.
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