- NDLEA Arrests Notorious Drug Kingpin After 13 Years On The Run
- Massive heroin, meth and opioid seizures recorded nationwide.
- Marwa vows sustained crackdown on trafficking networks.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a suspected drug kingpin, Reginald Peter Chidiebere, 13 years after he went into hiding following his arraignment for cocaine trafficking.
The agency confirmed that Chidiebere was taken into custody after fresh links connected him to large consignments of cocaine and heroin.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that he was first arrested in 2013 over the shipment of cocaine into Nigeria and was arraigned before Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court, Lagos, in charge number FHC/L/187c/2923. He later jumped bail and disappeared.
In February 2024, his name resurfaced as one of the alleged 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, Ikeja.
A follow up operation on February 19, 2024, at his Golden Platinum Hotel and Suites in Okota, Lagos, led to the recovery of an additional 2.20 kilograms of heroin from one of his guests, Igbuanugo Ebuka ThankGod.
Following the operation, the agency secured an interim forfeiture order on the hotel and froze bank accounts linked to him. With his assets blocked and movement restricted, Chidiebere surrendered to the agency on February 13, 2026. He is now in custody to face pending 2013 charges and fresh counts related to the 2024 heroin seizures.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives in Imo State on February 25, 2026, dismantled a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory at Isiozi Obiato, Umuaka, in Njaba Local Government Area. A total of 18.4 kilograms of methamphetamine were recovered alongside precursor chemicals and production equipment.
The agency also reported multiple arrests and seizures across the country. At the Seme border in Badagry, Lagos, officers intercepted a Togolese woman, Hadiza Musa, with 5,000 tramadol pills concealed in her luggage. In Lagos, 1,040 kilograms of skunk were recovered from an uncompleted building at Akodo village, Seaside Eleko, along the Ibeju Lekki axis.
In Kano State, Ashiru Bala, 45, was arrested with 1,499 bottles of codeine syrup concealed in a vehicle, while Yahaya Usaini, 21, was apprehended in Katsina State with 87.4 kilograms of skunk.
Two suspects, Adewale Fatunmise, 40, and Adebisi Korede, 25, were arrested in Osogbo, Osun State, in connection with 18.085 kilograms of skunk.
In Taraba State, operatives intercepted a vehicle along the Bali Suntai road conveying 637,600 opioid pills, including tramadol, diazepam and exol 5. 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 with 7,000 tramadol capsules along the Bama Konduga road.
The agency also intensified its War Against Drug Abuse campaign with sensitisation lectures in schools across Niger, Oyo, Jigawa, Cross River and Kano states.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa retd, commended officers of the MMIA, Seme, Lagos, Imo, Borno, Kano, Katsina, Taraba, Osun and FCT Commands for the arrests and seizures.
“I commend our officers and men for their persistence and professionalism in this operation,” he said, adding that the agency would continue to ensure that drug traffickers face justice.
The latest operations signal an intensified nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking networks and a renewed commitment to supply and demand reduction strategies.
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