After 13 years in hiding, infamous drug kingpin Reginald Peter Chidiebere has been apprehended, according to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
It was understood that Chidiebere was arrested after new connections to substantial amounts of heroin and cocaine.
Chidiebere was brought before Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court, Lagos, on charge number FHC/L/187c/2923. Chidiebere was initially detained in 2013 due to the shipment of cocaine into Nigeria.
But soon after being freed, he slipped underground and skipped bail.
His name reappeared in February 2024 as one of the masterminds behind the trafficking of 49.70 kg of heroin from South Africa. At the import shed of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, NDLEA agents stopped the shipment.
An further 2.20 kg of heroin were recovered from one of his visitors, Igbuanugo Ebuka ThankGod, during a follow-up operation at his Golden Platinum Hotel & Suites in the Okota neighborhood of Lagos on February 19, 2024.
After the operation, the agency frozen bank accounts associated with him and obtained an interim forfeiture order on the hotel.
With his assets blocked and movement restricted, Chidiebere eventually surrendered to the agency on February 13, 2026. He is currently being held in connection with new counts pertaining to the 2024 heroin seizures in addition to his outstanding 2013 accusations.
On Wednesday, February 25, 2026, NDLEA agents in Imo State destroyed a covert methamphetamine lab at Isiozi Obiato, Umuaka, in Njaba Local Government Area.
Along with precursor ingredients and equipment needed in the illicit substance’s production, 18.4 kg of methamphetamine were found.
The NDLEA described a number of operations throughout the nation in a statement released on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy.
A Togolese woman named Hadiza Musa was stopped by police at the departure tarmac at the Seme border in Badagry, Lagos, with 5,000 tramadol pills hidden in her suitcase.
Additionally, 1,040 kg of skunk were found by the operators in an incomplete building at Akodo village, Seaside Eleko, which is located along Lagos’ Ibeju-Lekki axis.
Ashiru Bala, a 45-year-old suspect in Kano State, was apprehended with 1,499 bottles of codeine syrup hidden in a Volkswagen Golf vehicle. The 21-year-old Yahaya Usaini was also caught in Katsina State carrying 87.4 kg of skunk on the Zaria–Dutsinma road.
Two suspects, Adewale Fatunmise, 40, and Adebisi Korede, 25, were detained in Osogbo, Osun State, in relation to the confiscation of 18.085 kg of skunk.
A Mercedes-Benz with 637,600 opioid pills, including tramadol, diazepam, and exol-5, was stopped by NDLEA agents in Taraba State on the Bali-Suntai route. 126.022 kilograms of skunk were seized and 27-year-old Musa Usman was arrested in another operation in Lankaviri Yorro.
In the Federal Capital Territory, 499.2 kilograms of skunk were recovered at Dei-Dei, Abuja, while in Borno State, a suspect, Bulama Modu, 24, was caught with 7,000 tramadol capsules along the Bama-Konduga road.
Additionally, the agency stepped up its War Against Drug Abuse campaign by holding awareness-raising lectures at schools in the states of Niger, Oyo, Jigawa, Cross River, and Kano.
The officers of the MMIA, Seme, Lagos, Imo, Borno, Kano, Katsina, Taraba, Osun, and FCT Commands were complimented for the arrests and seizures by Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA.
In response to Chidiebere’s capture following more than ten years of evasion, Marwa stated that the agency was unwavering in its efforts to dismantle criminal networks.
He declared, “I commend our officers and men for their persistence and professionalism in this operation,” adding that the agency will keep up its efforts to bring drug traffickers to justice.
The most recent events highlight NDLEA’s redoubled campaign against drug trafficking organizations and its dedication to striking a balance between supply and demand reduction tactics across the country.
