NDLEA Arrests Fugitive Suspect Over Record Heroin Seizure

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested and repatriated a suspected drug kingpin, Festus Ibewuike, who had been a fugitive for over two years following the interception of a record heroin shipment at Lagos airport. Ibewuike, 52, was arrested at an airport in Cotonou, Benin Republic, on September 2, 2026, and transferred to Nigeria on September 4, according to an NDLEA statement. The arrest is linked to a February 2024 operation in which NDLEA operatives intercepted 49.70 kilograms of heroin concealed in cartons of metal-cutting machines at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. The agency described it as the single largest heroin consignment ever recorded at the airport. Following the seizure, Ibewuike was declared wanted and charged in absentia. The NDLEA stated that Ibewuike had relocated to Mozambique, where he operated a hotel business as a front, and had been moving between Mozambique and Nigeria through Benin Republic to evade authorities. His arrest followed actionable intelligence and was facilitated through cooperation between the NDLEA and INTERPOL offices in both Nigeria and Benin Republic.