The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested and repatriated a fugitive drug kingpin linked to the interception of 49.70 kilogrammes of heroin at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, in 2024.
Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, disclosed this in a statement issued 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, following actionable intelligence.
Operatives of the Agency, working in collaboration with the INTERPOL National Central Bureaux in Nigeria and Benin Republic, secured his formal handover in Cotonou on Friday, 4th September 2026. He was subsequently flown back to Nigeria to face prosecution.
Ibewuike had been declared wanted after NDLEA operatives 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, which remains one of the largest heroin interceptions at the airport, followed a 12-day operation that also led to the arrest of members of the alleged trafficking syndicate, including his wife, Confidence Ndidiamaka Ibewuike.
Investigations revealed that the suspect had attempted to evade justice by moving between Mozambique and Nigeria through Benin Republic. During preliminary interviews, he confirmed his identity and admitted that he had changed his name from Chidibest Ibewuike to Festus Ibewuike.