ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigeria’s drug-enforcement agency has taken custody of Festus Ibewuike, 52, following his arrest in Cotonou, Benin Republic.
He faces charges connected to a 49.70-kilogram heroin shipment intercepted in Lagos in 2024.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency said in a statement that Ibewuike, also known as Chidibest Ibewuike, was arrested at Cotonou airport on Wednesday, September 2, 2026.
Officials working through Interpol in Nigeria and Benin Republic arranged for his transfer to NDLEA officers two days later, the agency said.
He was subsequently brought to Nigeria.
Proceedings in Lagos
Ibewuike had been charged in his absence alongside Osita Chidozie Cyril and another defendant identified by the agency only as Arinze.
The case, numbered FHC/L/205C/2024, is before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos.
According to the NDLEA, Adinnu Felix Chinedu, Osita Emmanuel Obinna and Uzochukwu Frankline have been convicted and sentenced in proceedings arising from the investigation.
Three other defendants — Chidiebere Reginald Peter, Confidence Ndidiamaka Ibewuike and Igbokwuputa Onyinye Ireene — remain on trial, the agency said.
It identified Confidence Ibewuike as the suspect’s wife and alleged that she received packages containing drugs on his behalf.
The Airport Seizure
The charges followed a 12-day operation conducted at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in February 2024.
Officers found the heroin inside cartons containing metal-cutting machines at the import section of the airport’s cargo terminal, according to the NDLEA.
The agency described it as the largest single heroin consignment recorded at the airport.
Investigators said packages associated with the shipment carried the code “ND”.
The operation also led to the freezing of 107 bank accounts and the forfeiture of properties that the agency linked to the alleged trafficking organisation.
The NDLEA said Ibewuike left Nigeria and established himself in Mozambique, where he operated a hotel business that the agency alleged served as a cover.
It said he travelled between Mozambique and Nigeria through neighbouring Benin Republic while avoiding arrest.
During preliminary questioning after his return, Ibewuike confirmed his identity and told investigators that he had changed his name from Chidibest Ibewuike to Festus Ibewuike, according to the agency.
The following day, officers took him to the NDLEA’s Central Exhibit Store in Ikoyi.
The agency said he identified heroin packages bearing the “ND” marking that investigators had attributed to him.
A Separate Drug Case
The NDLEA also said its investigation had identified an association between Ibewuike and an earlier Federal High Court case involving the seizure of 40.255 kilograms of methamphetamine.
That proceeding, numbered FHC/L/203C/2013, was heard by Justice Hadiza Rabiu Shagari in Lagos.
The conviction cited by the agency in that case was that of Chidi Ihedioha, who was found guilty in 2023.
Retired Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa, the NDLEA’s chairman and chief executive, described Ibewuike’s arrest as an important development in the agency’s effort to locate suspects who had left Nigeria.
Marwa said the agency would continue pursuing other wanted suspects and credited the Nigerian and Beninese Interpol National Central Bureaus with facilitating the transfer.
Alternative Headlines
- Fugitive Suspect in 49.70kg Lagos Heroin Case Returned to Nigeria
- NDLEA Takes Custody of Man Charged in Lagos Airport Heroin Seizure
- Cotonou Arrest Ends Two-Year Search for Nigerian Heroin Case Suspect
- Interpol Cooperation Returns Festus Ibewuike to Nigerian Custody
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Suspect Charged in Absentia Over Lagos Heroin Shipment Is Arrested
