After thirteen years in hiding,, notorious drug kingpin, Reginald Chidiebere, has finally been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) following a string of major cocaine and heroin seizures linked to him at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
Chidiebere was first arrested in 2013 over a cocaine shipment into Nigeria and arraigned before Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court, Lagos, in charge number FHC/L/187c/2923.
However, he jumped bail shortly after being granted release that same year and vanished, remaining at large for 13 years.
His name resurfaced prominently in February 2024 as one of the masterminds behind the importation of 49.70 kilograms of heroin from South Africa.
The consignment was intercepted by NDLEA operatives at the import shed of the Lagos airport.
A follow-up raid on February 19, 2024, at his Golden Platinum Hotel & Suites located at 16/18 Reginald Peter Chidiebere Street, Hope Estate, Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos, led to the recovery of an additional 2.20 kilograms of heroin from one of his guests, Igbuanugo Ebuka ThankGod.
Following the operation, Chidiebere once again went underground.
The agency subsequently secured an interim forfeiture of the hotel and froze bank accounts traced to him in 2024.
Cornered and unable to sustain life in hiding, Chidiebere surrendered to the NDLEA on February 13, 2026.
He is now in custody and will face pending charges for jumping bail in 2013, alongside fresh counts tied to the 2024 heroin shipments.
Reacting to his eventual arrest, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (rtd), said the agency remains unwavering in its determination to dismantle drug networks and ensure offenders face justice.
“I commend our officers and men for their persistence and professionalism in this operation,” Marwa said.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives in Imo State on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, dismantled a clandestine laboratory hidden in Isiozi Obiato, Umuaka, Njaba Local Government Area.
A total of 18.4 kilograms of methamphetamine, along with large quantities of precursor chemicals and production equipment, were recovered.
At the Seme border in Badagry, Lagos, officers intercepted a Togolese woman, Hadiza Musa, on Friday, February 27, with 5,000 pills of tramadol concealed in her luggage at the departure tarmac.
In another Lagos operation, 1,040 kilograms of skunk were recovered from an uncompleted building at Akodo Village, Seaside Eleko, along the Ibeju-Lekki corridor on February 25.
In Kano State, a 45-year-old suspect, Ashiru Bala, was arrested at Lambu, Tafa LGA, with 1,499 bottles of codeine syrup concealed in a Volkswagen Golf marked CA 911 ABC.
Similarly, in Katsina State, Yahaya Usaini, 21, was apprehended along the Zaria-Dutsinma road with 87.4 kilograms of skunk concealed in a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number KUJ 544 RL.
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 at Aregbe area of Osogbo.
Taraba State recorded one of the largest opioid seizures of the week, with 637,600 pills of tramadol, diazepam and exol-5 recovered from a Mercedes-Benz vehicle marked KWL-607DC, along Bali-Suntai road en route to Baruwa in Gashaka Local Government Area.
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Another operation at Lankaviri Yorro led to the arrest of Musa Usman, 27, and the seizure of 126.022 kilograms of skunk.
In the Federal Capital Territory, 499.2 kilograms of skunk were recovered at Dei-Dei, Abuja, while in Borno State, Bulama Modu, 24, was intercepted along the Bama-Konduga road with 7,000 capsules of tramadol concealed in a commercial vehicle.
Marwa commended officers across the MMIA, Seme, Lagos, Imo, Borno, Kano, Katsina, Taraba, Osun and FCT Commands for sustaining pressure on drug cartels while maintaining a balance between supply reduction and demand reduction strategies nationwide.
