The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested and brought back to Nigeria the suspected kingpin behind the 49.70kg heroin shipment intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, in 2024.
The NDLEA disclosed this in a statement signed by its Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in Abuja on Wednesday.
The suspect, 52-year-old Festus Ibewuike, also known as Chidibest Ibewuike, was “arrested at the airport in Cotonou, Benin Republic on Wednesday 2nd September 2026” after actionable intelligence led security operatives to him.
The arrest ended Ibewuike’s attempt to evade the authorities by moving between Mozambique and Nigeria through Benin Republic. The NDLEA said he had relocated to Mozambique, where he operated a hotel business as a front.
Seized drugs. Photo credit: NDLEA
After his arrest, the agency worked with INTERPOL in Nigeria and Benin Republic to secure his return. According to the NDLEA, “a team of NDLEA operatives” was deployed to Cotonou on Friday, September 4, to take custody of him before he was conveyed to Nigeria.
Ibewuike had been declared wanted after the NDLEA seized 49.70kg of heroin concealed in cartons of metal-cutting machines at the Import Shed of the MMIA cargo terminal in February 2024.
The seizure followed a 12-day operation which also led to the arrest of members of the alleged trafficking syndicate, including Ibewuike’s wife, Confidence Ndidiamaka Ibewuike. The agency said she routinely received drug-laden parcels marked with the code “ND” on his behalf.
