Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have taken into custody a wanted drug kingpin, Reginald Peter Chidiebere, who had been on the run for 13 years following his arraignment on cocaine trafficking charges.
The agency disclosed that Chidiebere was initially arrested in 2013 over the importation of cocaine into Nigeria and was arraigned before Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court, Lagos, under charge number FHC/L/187c/2923. He was granted bail but subsequently absconded and remained at large.
According to the NDLEA, his name resurfaced prominently in February 2024 as one of the alleged masterminds behind the importation of 49.70 kilograms of heroin from South Africa. The consignment was intercepted by operatives at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos.
A follow-up raid on February 19, 2024, at his Golden Platinum Hotel & Suites located in the Okota area of Lagos led to the recovery of an additional 2.20 kilograms of heroin from a guest, Igbuanugo Ebuka ThankGod. Following the operation, Chidiebere reportedly went underground again.
The agency secured an interim forfeiture order on his hotel and froze bank accounts linked to him in 2024. Under mounting pressure and unable to sustain life in hiding, Chidiebere surrendered to the NDLEA on February 13, 2026. He is now in custody to face the earlier charges for which he jumped bail, as well as fresh charges related to the 2024 heroin seizures.
Meth Lab Dismantled in Imo
In a related development, NDLEA operatives in Imo State dismantled a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Isiozi Obiato, Umuaka, in Njaba Local Government Area. The operation, carried out on February 25, 2026, led to the seizure of 18.4 kilograms of methamphetamine, precursor chemicals and production equipment.
Multiple Arrests Across States
At the Seme border in the Badagry area of Lagos, officers intercepted a Togolese woman, Hadiza Musa, on February 27, with 5,000 pills of tramadol concealed in her luggage.
In another operation in the Ibeju-Lekki axis of Lagos, operatives recovered 1,040 kilograms of skunk from an uncompleted building in Akodo village, Seaside Eleko.
In Kano State, a 45-year-old suspect, Ashiru Bala, was arrested at Lambu in Tafa LGA with 1,499 bottles of codeine syrup concealed in a Volkswagen Golf car marked CA 911 ABC.
Similarly, along the Zaria-Dutsinma road in Katsina State, Yahaya Usaini, 21, was apprehended while transporting 87.4 kilograms of skunk in a Toyota Hiace bus.
In Osun State, two suspects — Adewale Fatunmise, 40, and Adebisi Korede, 25 — were arrested in connection with the seizure of 18.085 kilograms of skunk in the Aregbe area of Osogbo.
Operatives in Taraba State intercepted 637,600 pills of opioids, including tramadol, diazepam and exol-5, concealed in a Mercedes-Benz vehicle along the Bali–Suntai road en route to Baruwa in Gashaka LGA. Another operation at Lankaviri Yorro area resulted in the arrest of Musa Usman, 27, and the seizure of 126.022 kilograms of skunk.
In the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, 499.2 kilograms of skunk were recovered in the Dei-Dei area, while in Borno State, Bulama Modu, 24, was arrested along the Bama–Konduga road with 7,000 capsules of tramadol.
Marwa Commends Officers
Reacting to the arrest of the fugitive drug lord, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Buba Marwa, praised the agency’s personnel for their persistence and professionalism.
He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to dismantling criminal drug networks and ensuring that offenders are brought to justice. Marwa also commended commands across the country for maintaining a balance between drug supply reduction and demand reduction efforts through ongoing War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation programmes in schools nationwide.
