Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a notorious drug kingpin, Reginald Peter Chidiebere, who had been on the run for 13 years following large cocaine and heroin seizures linked to him.
Disclosing this on Sunday, NDLEA’s Head of Publicity and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said Chidiebere was first arrested in 2013 over cocaine shipments and arraigned before Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court, Lagos. He, however, jumped bail shortly after being granted release and went underground.
According to Babafemi, Chidiebere’s name resurfaced in February 2024 as one of the masterminds behind the importation of 49.70 kilograms of heroin from South Africa, intercepted by NDLEA operatives at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja.
A follow-up raid at his Golden Platinum Hotel & Suites in Okota, Lagos, led to the recovery of an additional 2.20 kilograms of heroin from a guest. The agency subsequently secured interim forfeiture of the hotel and froze bank accounts traced to him.
Unable to sustain life in hiding, Chidiebere surrendered to the agency on February 13, 2026 and is now in custody to face the pending 2013 charges and fresh counts tied to the 2024 heroin consignments.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operations across the country recorded multiple seizures and arrests in the past week. In Imo State, operatives dismantled a clandestine laboratory in Njaba Local Government Area, recovering 18.4 kilograms of methamphetamine, precursor chemicals and production equipment.
At the Seme border in Lagos, officers intercepted a Togolese woman with 5,000 tramadol pills concealed in her luggage, while 1,040 kilograms of skunk were recovered from an uncompleted building in the Ibeju-Lekki axis.
In Kano, a suspect was arrested with 1,499 bottles of codeine syrup, while another was nabbed in Katsina transporting 87.4 kilograms of skunk.
Arrests and seizures were also recorded in Osun, Taraba, the Federal Capital Territory, and Borno, including the interception of 637,600 opioid pills and hundreds of kilograms of cannabis.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers across the commands for their sustained offensive against drug trafficking networks and balanced approach to drug supply and demand reduction.
Reacting to Chidiebere’s arrest, Marwa reaffirmed the agency’s resolve to dismantle criminal syndicates and bring fugitives to justice, describing the operation as a testament to the persistence and professionalism of NDLEA personnel.
