• Wanted drug kingpin arrested after 13 years in hiding
• NDLEA dismantles methamphetamine laboratory in Imo State
• Large consignments of heroin, skunk, tramadol and opioids seized nationwide
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a wanted drug kingpin, Reginald Peter Chidiebere, who had been on the run for 13 years over alleged involvement in cocaine and heroin trafficking.
The agency disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
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According to the NDLEA, Chidiebere was first arrested in 2013 for importing cocaine into Nigeria and was arraigned before a Federal High Court in Lagos but later jumped bail and went into hiding.
The agency said his name resurfaced in February 2024 as one of the suspected masterminds behind the importation of 49.70 kilograms of heroin from South Africa, which was intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
A follow-up operation at his Golden Platinum Hotel and Suites in Okota, Lagos, led to the recovery of an additional 2.20 kilograms of heroin from one of his guests. The NDLEA subsequently secured an interim forfeiture of the hotel and froze bank accounts linked to him.
The agency said the suspect eventually surrendered to NDLEA operatives on February 13, 2026, and is currently in custody to face charges related to the 2013 case and fresh allegations connected to the 2024 heroin shipments.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives dismantled a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory at Isiozi Obiato in Umuaka, Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State, where 18.4 kilograms of methamphetamine, precursor chemicals and production equipment were recovered.
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At the Seme border in Lagos State, NDLEA officers intercepted a Togolese woman, Hadiza Musa, with 5,000 tramadol pills concealed in her luggage, while operatives also recovered 1,040 kilograms of skunk from an uncompleted building in the Ibeju-Lekki area.
In Kano State, a suspect identified as Ashiru Bala was arrested with 1,499 bottles of codeine syrup concealed in a vehicle, while another suspect was apprehended in Katsina State with 87.4 kilograms of skunk hidden in a commercial bus.
Two suspects were also arrested in Osun State in connection with the seizure of 18.085 kilograms of skunk in Osogbo.
In Taraba State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a vehicle carrying 637,600 pills of opioids including tramadol and diazepam, while another suspect was arrested with 126.022 kilograms of skunk.
Similarly, 499.2 kilograms of skunk was recovered in the Federal Capital Territory, while a suspect was intercepted in Borno State with 7,000 capsules of tramadol concealed in a commercial vehicle.