The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested and repatriated a suspected drug kingpin, Festus Ibewuike, who had been on the run for more than two years following the seizure of 49.70kg of heroin at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.
According to the agency, the suspect fled to Mozambique, where he operated a hotel as a cover, after being declared wanted alongside two other suspects over the February 2024 seizure.
NDLEA operatives had intercepted the 49.70kg consignment, described as the largest single heroin seizure recorded at the Lagos airport, after the drugs were concealed in cartons of metal-cutting machines at the airport’s Import Shed.
The operation resulted in the arrest of key members of the syndicate, including the suspect’s wife, who allegedly received drug-laden parcels marked with the code “ND” on his behalf.
The agency also froze 107 bank accounts and secured the forfeiture of properties allegedly linked to the cartel.
Babafemi said the suspect remained at large for more than two years, travelling between Mozambique and Nigeria through neighbouring Benin Republic in an attempt to evade arrest.
He was eventually arrested at the airport in Cotonou, Benin Republic, on September 2 following actionable intelligence and collaboration between INTERPOL authorities in Nigeria and Benin.
A team of NDLEA operatives subsequently travelled to Cotonou on September 4 to take custody of the suspect and return him to Nigeria to face prosecution.
The 52-year-old suspect later confirmed his identity during preliminary questioning. On September 5, he was taken to the NDLEA’s Central Exhibit Store in Ikoyi, Lagos, where he formally identified the parcels of heroin bearing the “ND” code allegedly linked to his network.
NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, described the arrest as a major breakthrough in the agency’s efforts to track down fleeing drug kingpins.
Marwa said the arrest demonstrated that suspects who flee Nigeria would not remain beyond the reach of the law, regardless of how long they remain at large or where they hide.
He commended the Nigerian and Beninese INTERPOL National Central Bureaus for their multinational cooperation, which facilitated the suspect’s arrest and transfer to Nigerian authorities.