The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a suspected drug kingpin linked to a 49.70kg heroin shipment seized at Lagos airport in 2024.
The agency said 52-year-old Festus Ibewuike, also known as Chidibest Ibewuike, was arrested at the airport in Cotonou, Benin Republic, on September 2, 2026. According to the NDLEA, actionable intelligence led security operatives to Ibewuike after he had spent months evading authorities.
The agency said the suspect moved between Mozambique and Nigeria through Benin Republic while attempting to avoid arrest. Ibewuike had reportedly relocated to Mozambique, where he operated a hotel business that the NDLEA described as a front for his activities.
Following his arrest, the NDLEA worked with INTERPOL authorities in Nigeria and Benin Republic to facilitate his return to Nigeria. A team of NDLEA operatives was deployed to Cotonou on September 4 to take custody of Ibewuike and convey him back to Nigeria.
The agency said the wider operation also led to the freezing of 107 bank accounts linked to the syndicate. Properties allegedly connected to the cartel were also forfeited as part of the investigation.
READ ALSO: https://alo360.net/singaporean-man-pleads-guilty-245m-crypto-heist/
