49.7kg Heroin Fugitive Finally Caught After Two Years on the Run
Festus Ibewuike, also known as Chidibest Ibewuike, was arrested in Cotonou and brought back to Nigeria after allegedly evading authorities for more than two years following the NDLEA’s record heroin seizure at Lagos airport in 2024.
By Abdullahi Yusuf
For more than two years, Festus Ibewuike remained beyond the reach of Nigerian authorities, moving between countries and living under a changed name after a 49.70kg heroin seizure at Lagos airport.
That ended on September 2 when the 52-year-old was arrested at an airport in Cotonou, Benin Republic, and brought back to Nigeria to face charges over his alleged role in the trafficking network linked to the consignment.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said Ibewuike, also known as Chidibest Ibewuike, was arrested on September 2 following actionable intelligence.
The agency subsequently worked with the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) in Nigeria and Benin Republic to secure his handover. NDLEA operatives travelled to Cotonou on September 4, took custody of him and conveyed him to Nigeria.
Ibewuike had been declared wanted after NDLEA operatives intercepted 49.70kg of heroin concealed in cartons of metal-cutting machines at the Import Shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, in February 2024.
The agency described the seizure as the single largest heroin consignment ever recorded at the airport.
The seizure followed a coordinated 12-day operation that also led to the arrest of several alleged members of the trafficking syndicate, including Ibewuike’s wife, Confidence Ndidiamaka Ibewuike.
The NDLEA said drug-laden parcels bearing the code “ND” were routinely received on Ibewuike’s behalf and that the investigation resulted in the freezing of 107 bank accounts and forfeiture of properties linked to the alleged cartel.
Ibewuike was among three suspects who were subsequently charged in absentia before the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, in connection with the case.
Three other defendants: Adinnu Felix Chinedu, Osita Emmanuel Obinna and Uzochukwu Frankline, have since been convicted and sentenced, according to the NDLEA.
Three others: Chidiebere Reginald Peter, Ibewuike Ndidiamaka Confidence and Igbokwuputa Onyinye Ireene, remain on trial.
While wanted, Ibewuike relocated to Mozambique, where the NDLEA said he operated a hotel business as a front. The agency said he continued moving between Mozambique and Nigeria through neighbouring Benin Republic in an effort to evade arrest.
His flight eventually ended at Cotonou airport.
During preliminary interviews, Ibewuike confirmed his identity and told investigators that he had changed his name from Chidibest Ibewuike to Festus Ibewuike, the NDLEA said.
On September 5, he was taken to the agency’s Central Exhibit Store in Ikoyi, Lagos, where he formally identified parcels of heroin bearing the “ND” code that investigators had linked to him.
The NDLEA also said further investigation linked Ibewuike to an earlier drug-related case before the Federal High Court in Lagos involving the seizure of 40.255kg of methamphetamine.
That case, filed under charge number FHC/L/203C/2013, involved Chidi Ihedioha, who was subsequently convicted by the court in 2023, according to the agency.
Reacting to the arrest, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), described the development as a major breakthrough in the agency’s pursuit of suspected drug kingpins who flee the country.
“This arrest is a major breakthrough in our resolve to track down and bring to justice every drug baron who thinks that fleeing Nigeria’s shores puts them beyond the reach of the law,” Marwa said.
He said Ibewuike had spent more than two years hiding under a changed name and living abroad, but had now been brought back to Nigeria to answer for the 49.70kg heroin seizure allegedly linked to his network.
Marwa also commended the Nigerian and Beninese INTERPOL National Central Bureaus for the cooperation that enabled the transfer of Ibewuike into NDLEA custody.
SPONSORED
SPONSORED
