After more than a decade in hiding, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have taken into custody a suspected drug kingpin, Reginald Peter Chidiebere, over large consignments of cocaine and heroin linked to him.
The agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, detailing how the suspect evaded arrest for 13 years after jumping bail.
According to Babafemi, Chidiebere was first arrested in 2013 for cocaine shipment into Nigeria and subsequently arraigned before Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court, Lagos, in charge number FHC/L/187c/2923.
He was granted bail the same year but absconded shortly after.
In February 2024, his name resurfaced during investigations into the importation of 49.70 kilograms of heroin from South Africa, following the interception of the consignment at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja.
Babafemi said a follow-up operation was carried out on February 19, 2024, at his Golden Platinum Hotel & Suites, located at No. 16/18 Reginald Peter Chidiebere Street, Hope Estate, Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos.
During the raid, an additional 2.20 kilograms of heroin was recovered from one of his guests, Igbuanugo Ebuka ThankGod.
“As a result, Chidiebere went underground. The agency, however, secured the interim forfeiture of his hotel and blocked all bank accounts traced to him since 2024.
“Following these developments, Chidiebere could no longer sustain himself in hiding, prompting his surrender to the agency on 13th February 2026 and has since been taken into custody to face his pending charges for which he jumped bail in 2013 and fresh charges based on the 2024 heroin consignments linked to him,” Babafemi said.
Reacting to the development, NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), commended the agency’s operatives for their persistence.
“I commend our officers and men for their persistence and professionalism in this operation,” he said, reaffirming the agency’s resolve to dismantle criminal networks and bring offenders to justice.
Beyond the arrest of the fugitive suspect, the agency recorded multiple seizures nationwide within the past week.
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In Imo State, operatives dismantled a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Isiozi Obiato, Umuaka, Njaba Local Government Area, recovering 18.4 kilograms of the substance alongside precursor chemicals and production equipment.
At the Seme border in Badagry, Lagos, officers intercepted a Togolese woman, Hadiza Musa, who concealed 5,000 pills of tramadol in her luggage.
In a separate operation, 1,040 kilograms of skunk were recovered from an uncompleted building at Akodo village, Seaside Eleko, in the Ibeju-Lekki area.
In Kano State, a 45-year-old suspect, Ashiru Bala, was arrested with 1,499 bottles of codeine syrup while transporting the consignment in a Volkswagen Golf car marked CA 911 ABC.
Similarly, in Katsina State, a 21-year-old suspect, Yahaya Usaini, was apprehended with 87.4 kilograms of skunk along the Zaria–Dutsinma road.
Operatives in Osun State arrested two suspects in connection with the seizure of 18.085 kilograms of skunk at Aregbe area of Osogbo.
In Taraba State, no fewer than 637,600 pills of opioids including tramadol, diazepam and exol-5 were intercepted in a Mercedes-Benz vehicle marked KWL-607DC along Bali–Suntai road.
Another operation in Lankaviri Yorro led to the arrest of Musa Usman, 27, and the recovery of 126.022 kilograms of skunk.
Additional seizures included 499.2 kilograms of skunk in Dei-Dei, Abuja, and 7,000 capsules of tramadol intercepted along the Bama–Konduga road in Borno State.
Babafemi added that the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy campaign continued across commands nationwide in the past week.
