The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a notorious drug kingpin, Reginald Peter Chidiebere, who had been on the run for 13 years following his involvement in cocaine and heroin trafficking.
Chidiebere was initially arrested in 2013 over a cocaine shipment and was arraigned before Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court, Lagos, under charge number FHC/L/187c/2923. However, he jumped bail the same year and went into hiding.
His name resurfaced in February 2024 as one of the masterminds behind the importation of 49.70 kilograms of heroin from South Africa. The consignment was intercepted by NDLEA operatives at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja.
A follow-up operation on February 19, 2024, at his Golden Platinum Hotel & Suites located in Okota, Lagos, led to the recovery of an additional 2.20 kilograms of heroin from one of his guests, Igbuanugo Ebuka ThankGod. The agency subsequently secured an interim forfeiture of the hotel and froze bank accounts linked to him.
Unable to sustain life in hiding, Chidiebere surrendered to NDLEA on February 13, 2026. He is currently in custody and will face pending charges relating to the 2013 case as well as fresh charges tied to the 2024 heroin shipments.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Imo State dismantled a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Isiozi Obiato, Umuaka, in Njaba Local Government Area on February 25, 2026. The operation led to the recovery of 18.4 kilograms of methamphetamine, large quantities of precursor chemicals, and production equipment.
At the Seme border in Badagry, Lagos, officers intercepted a Togolese woman, Hadiza Musa, on February 27 while attempting to smuggle 5,000 tramadol pills concealed in her luggage. In a separate operation, 1,040 kilograms of skunk were recovered from an uncompleted building in Akodo village, Seaside Eleko, along the Ibeju-Lekki axis of Lagos.
In Kano State, a 45-year-old suspect, Ashiru Bala, was arrested with 1,499 bottles of codeine syrup at Lambu in Tafa LGA. Similarly, in Katsina State, Yahaya Usaini, 21, was nabbed along the Zaria–Dutsinma road with 87.4 kilograms of skunk concealed in a Toyota Hiace bus.
In Osun State, two suspects — Adewale Fatunmise, 40, and Adebisi Korede, 25 — were arrested in connection with the seizure of 18.085 kilograms of skunk in the Aregbe area of Osogbo.
Operatives in Taraba State intercepted a Mercedes-Benz vehicle along the Bali–Suntai road conveying 637,600 pills of opioids, including tramadol, diazepam, and exol-5, destined for Baruwa in Gashaka LGA. Another operation in Lankaviri Yorro led to the arrest of Musa Usman, 27, and the seizure of 126.022 kilograms of skunk.
In the Federal Capital Territory, 499.2 kilograms of skunk were recovered at Dei-Dei, Abuja, while in Borno State, Bulama Modu, 24, was arrested along the Bama–Konduga road with 7,000 capsules of tramadol.
The agency also sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign across schools nationwide, including institutions in Niger, Oyo, Jigawa, Cross River, and Kano states.
Commending officers across the MMIA, Seme, Lagos, Imo, Borno, Kano, Katsina, Taraba, Osun, and FCT Commands for the week’s successes, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), reiterated the agency’s commitment to dismantling drug networks and bringing offenders to justice.
“I commend our officers and men for their persistence and professionalism in this operation,” Marwa said.