Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a suspected drug kingpin, Reginald Peter Chidiebere, who had been on the run for 13 years after allegedly jumping bail in a cocaine trafficking case.
The agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed on Sunday that Chidiebere was initially arrested in 2013 over a cocaine shipment and subsequently arraigned before Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court, Lagos Division, in charge number FHC/L/187c/2923. He was granted bail but later absconded and remained at large for over a decade.
According to the NDLEA, the suspect’s name resurfaced in February 2024 during investigations into the importation of 49.70 kilogrammes of heroin from South Africa.
The consignment was intercepted by NDLEA operatives at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
Babafemi said a follow-up operation conducted on February 19, 2024, at Golden Platinum Hotel & Suites, located at No. 16/18 Reginald Peter Chidiebere Street, Hope Estate, Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos, led to the recovery of an additional 2.20 kilogrammes of heroin from one of the hotel’s guests, identified as Igbuanugo Ebuka ThankGod.
The agency subsequently secured an interim forfeiture order on the hotel and blocked bank accounts traced to the suspect. Faced with mounting pressure and asset seizures, Chidiebere reportedly surrendered to the NDLEA on February 13, 2026. He is now in custody and expected to face both the pending 2013 charges and fresh counts related to the 2024 heroin shipments.
Similar enforcement actions were recorded at the Seme border, where officers intercepted a Togolese woman, Hadiza Musa, allegedly attempting to smuggle 5,000 tramadol pills concealed in her luggage.
On the same day, operatives also recovered 1,040 kilogrammes of skunk from an uncompleted building at Akodo village, Seaside Eleko, along the Ibeju-Lekki axis, underscoring the agency’s sustained clampdown on narcotics trafficking networks across the country.
The latest operations highlight the NDLEA’s intensified efforts to dismantle drug cartels, disrupt supply chains, and bring long-wanted suspects to justice.
