Heroin Kingpin’s 2-Year Escape Ends As NDLEA Captures Ibewuike In Benin Republic

• Festus Ibewuike, also known as Chidibest Ibewuike, has been arrested in Cotonou, Benin Republic, and returned to Nigeria after more than two years in hiding over his alleged connection to a 49.70kg heroin consignment seized at Lagos airport.

• The NDLEA said Ibewuike relocated to Mozambique, where he allegedly operated a hotel as a cover, while moving between Mozambique, Nigeria and Benin Republic in an effort to evade arrest and prosecution.

• The 49.70kg heroin seizure in February 2024 was the largest single heroin consignment intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, and led to arrests, the freezing of 107 bank accounts and forfeiture proceedings against properties allegedly linked to the syndicate.

• NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), said the arrest sends a strong warning to drug traffickers who believe they can escape justice by fleeing the country, while praising INTERPOL authorities in Nigeria and Benin Republic for facilitating the suspect’s return.

September 09, () — The two-year escape of suspected drug kingpin, Festus Ibewuike, also known as Chidibest Ibewuike, has ended after operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) tracked him down and secured his arrest in Cotonou, Benin Republic.

A statement signed on Wednesday by NDLEA Spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said Ibewuike, 52, was arrested at the airport in Cotonou on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, following actionable intelligence received by the NDLEA.

The agency said the arrest was facilitated through collaboration with the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) National Central Bureaus in Nigeria and the Republic of Benin.

A team of NDLEA operatives was subsequently deployed to Cotonou on Friday, September 4, to take custody of the suspect, who was conveyed to Nigeria to face investigation over his alleged role in a major international drug trafficking network.

Ibewuike had been declared wanted after the NDLEA intercepted 49.70 kilogrammes of heroin at the Import Shed of the cargo terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, in February 2024.

The agency described the seizure as the single largest heroin consignment ever recorded at the Lagos airport. The drugs were concealed in cartons of metal-cutting machines.

The interception followed a coordinated 12-day operation by operatives of the NDLEA’s MMIA Strategic Command, which led to the arrest of several suspected members of the trafficking syndicate.

Among those arrested was Ibewuike’s wife, Confidence Ndidiamaka Ibewuike, who the agency alleged routinely received drug-laden parcels on behalf of her husband.

According to the NDLEA, the parcels were marked with the code “ND”, which investigators subsequently linked to Ibewuike.

The investigation also resulted in the freezing of 107 bank accounts and the forfeiture of properties allegedly connected to the drug trafficking network.

Fugitive Hid Under New Identity

Following the seizure and the arrest of members of the syndicate, Ibewuike fled Nigeria and relocated to Mozambique, where the NDLEA said he operated a hotel business as a front.

For more than two years, he allegedly moved between Mozambique and Nigeria through neighbouring Benin Republic in an attempt to stay ahead of Nigerian law enforcement authorities.

His movements eventually came under renewed scrutiny following actionable intelligence that enabled investigators to locate him in Cotonou.

During preliminary interviews after his return to Nigeria, Ibewuike 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 NDLEA Central Exhibit Store in Ikoyi, Lagos, where the agency said he formally identified the parcels of heroin bearing the “ND” code that investigators had linked to him.

Court Prosecution Continues

The suspects arrested in connection with the 49.70kg heroin seizure were subsequently charged before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, in charge number FHC/L/205C/2024.

Three of the suspects, including Adinnu Felix Chinedu, Osita Emmanuel Obinna and Uzochukwu Frankline, have so far been convicted and sentenced by the court.

Three others, including Chidiebere Reginald Peter, Ibewuike Ndidiamaka Confidence and Igbokwuputa Onyinye Ireene, are still standing trial.

Ibewuike was among three suspects charged in absentia after fleeing the country. The other two are Osita Chidozie Cyril and another suspect identified as Arinze.

Linked To Earlier Drug Case

The NDLEA said further investigation also revealed that Ibewuike had previously been associated with another drug-related case before the Federal High Court in Lagos.

The case, filed under charge number FHC/L/203C/2013 and presided over by Justice Hadiza Rabiu Shagari, involved the seizure of 40.255kg of methamphetamine.

The case involved one Chidi Ihedioha, who was subsequently convicted by the court in 2023.

Reacting to Ibewuike’s arrest, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), described the development as a major breakthrough in the agency’s campaign against fleeing drug kingpins.

Marwa said the arrest demonstrated that suspects involved in illicit drug trafficking could not evade justice indefinitely by escaping the country.

“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 said.

The NDLEA chairman added that Ibewuike’s two-year flight, change of name and relocation abroad had failed to shield him from prosecution.

“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”, he stated.

Marwa also commended the multinational cooperation that made the arrest possible, particularly the INTERPOL National Central Bureaus in Nigeria and the Benin Republic. He said the cooperation demonstrated the importance of international law enforcement collaboration in tracking suspects who attempt to escape justice by crossing national borders.