After more than two years of moving between countries to evade arrest, suspected drug kingpin Festus Ibewuike, also known as Chidibest Ibewuike, has been arrested and returned to Nigeria to face trial over his alleged role in a 49.70kg heroin trafficking operation.

Ibewuike was arrested at the airport in Cotonou, Benin Republic, on September 2, 2026, following actionable intelligence.

His arrest was facilitated by cooperation between the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) in Nigeria and Benin Republic.
 
He was handed over to NDLEA operatives deployed to Cotonou on September 4 and subsequently brought to Nigeria to answer questions over the heroin consignment, described by the agency as the single largest heroin seizure recorded at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
 
The 49.70kg consignment was intercepted in February 2024 during a coordinated 12-day operation by operatives of the NDLEA MMIA Strategic Command.
 
The heroin was concealed in cartons of metal-cutting machines at the Import Shed of the airport’s cargo terminal.
 
The operation led to the arrest of several members of the alleged trafficking syndicate, including Ibewuike’s wife, Confidence Ndidiamaka Ibewuike, who was accused of routinely receiving drug-laden parcels marked with the code “ND” on behalf of her husband.
 
The investigation also resulted in the freezing of 107 bank accounts and the forfeiture of properties allegedly linked to the cartel.
 
Ibewuike was among three suspects declared wanted and charged in absentia 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 by the court.
 
Three others; Chidiebere Reginald Peter, Ibewuike Ndidiamaka Confidence and Igbokwuputa Onyinye Ireene, are still standing trial.
 
The other suspects charged in absentia were Chidibest Ibewuike; Osita Chidozie Cyril; and a suspect identified as Arinze.
 
For more than two years, Ibewuike allegedly moved between Mozambique and Nigeria through neighbouring Benin Republic in an attempt to remain beyond the reach of Nigerian law enforcement.
 
The NDLEA said actionable intelligence eventually led to his arrest at the Cotonou airport.
 During preliminary interviews, the 52-year-old suspect reportedly 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 parcels of heroin bearing the “ND” code that investigators had linked to him.
   
Further investigation, according to the agency, also showed that Ibewuike had previously been associated with another drug-related case before the Federal High Court in Lagos.
 
The earlier case, heard by Justice Hadiza Rabiu Shagari under charge number FHC/L/203C/2013, involved the seizure of 40.255kg of methamphetamine. 
 
One Chidi Ihedioha, who was involved in the case, was subsequently convicted by the court in 2023.
 
Reacting to the arrest, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd), described the development as a major breakthrough in the agency’s efforts to track down suspected drug kingpins who flee the country.
 
Marwa said the arrest demonstrated that fleeing Nigeria would not shield suspects from prosecution.
 
He vowed that the agency would continue to pursue suspects who remain at large until they are brought to justice.

“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 Ibewuike had spent more than two years hiding abroad and operating under a changed identity, but had now been brought back to Nigeria to answer for the heroin seizure allegedly linked to his network.
 
Marwa also warned other suspects still at large that the NDLEA would continue to pursue them, regardless of how long they remained away or where they fled.
 
The NDLEA chairman commended the multinational cooperation that facilitated the arrest and transfer of custody, particularly the Nigerian and Beninese INTERPOL National Central Bureaus.
 
He said the operation underscored the importance of international collaboration in tackling cross-border drug trafficking.