Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a wanted drug kingpin, Reginald Peter Chidiebere, who had been on the run for 13 years over major cocaine and heroin shipments.
Chidiebere was initially arrested in 2013 for trafficking cocaine into Nigeria and was arraigned before the Federal High Court in Lagos. He, however, jumped bail the same year and disappeared. His name resurfaced in February 2024 as one of the alleged masterminds behind the importation of 49.70 kilograms of heroin from South Africa, which was intercepted by NDLEA operatives at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
A follow-up operation on February 19, 2024, at his Golden Platinum Hotel & Suites located in the Ago Palace Way area of Okota, Lagos, led to the recovery of an additional 2.20 kilograms of heroin from one of his guests. Following the operation, the agency secured an interim forfeiture order on the hotel and froze bank accounts linked to him.
After years in hiding and mounting pressure from investigators, Chidiebere surrendered to the agency on February 13, 2026. He is now in custody and expected to face both the pending 2013 charges and fresh charges related to the 2024 heroin shipment.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives in Imo State dismantled a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Isiozi Obiato, Umuaka, Njaba Local Government Area. Officers recovered 18.4 kilograms of methamphetamine, along with precursor chemicals and production equipment used in manufacturing the illicit substance.
At the Seme border in the Badagry area of Lagos, a Togolese woman, Hadiza Musa, was intercepted with 5,000 pills of tramadol concealed in her luggage. In another operation in the Ibeju-Lekki axis of Lagos, operatives recovered 1,040 kilograms of skunk from an uncompleted building in Akodo village.
Across other states, significant seizures were recorded. In Kano State, a 45-year-old suspect was arrested with 1,499 bottles of codeine syrup. In Katsina State, another suspect was apprehended while transporting 87.4 kilograms of skunk. In Osun State, two individuals were arrested in connection with the seizure of 18.085 kilograms of skunk in Osogbo.
In Taraba State, NDLEA operatives intercepted 637,600 pills of opioids, including tramadol and diazepam, along the Bali–Suntai road, while another operation led to the arrest of a suspect and the seizure of 126.022 kilograms of skunk. Additional recoveries included 499.2 kilograms of skunk in the Federal Capital Territory and 7,000 capsules of tramadol intercepted along the Bama–Konduga road in Borno State.
The agency also sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign nationwide, conducting sensitization lectures in schools across Niger, Oyo, Jigawa, Cross River and Kano States.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers across the various commands for the arrests and seizures, describing the capture of Chidiebere as a testament to the agency’s persistence.
He reaffirmed the agency’s resolve to dismantle drug trafficking networks and ensure offenders are brought to justice, noting that NDLEA remains committed to balancing drug supply reduction with demand reduction efforts nationwide.
NDLEA Arrests Fugitive Drug Kingpin After 13 Years; Seizes Meth Lab, Large Drug Hauls Nationwide
