Renowned drug lord Reginald Peter Chidiebere has been apprehended by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) following 13 years of evasion.
It is understood that Chidiebere was arrested after new connections to substantial amounts of heroin and cocaine.
Chidiebere was brought before Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court, Lagos, on charge number FHC/L/187c/2923. Chidiebere was initially detained in 2013 due to the transportation of cocaine into Nigeria.
However, soon after being freed, he went underground and jumped bail.
As one of the masterminds behind the trafficking of 49.70 kg of heroin from South Africa, his name reappeared in February 2024. At the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, NDLEA agents stopped the shipment.
Igbuanugo Ebuka ThankGod, one of his guests, had an extra 2.20 kg of heroin recovered during a follow-up investigation at his Golden Platinum Hotel & Suites in the Okota neighborhood of Lagos on February 19, 2024.
The government blocked his bank accounts and obtained an interim forfeiture judgment against the hotel after the operation.
On February 13, 2026, Chidiebere finally turned himself in to the agency after his assets were banned and his freedom was restricted. In addition to new counts pertaining to the 2024 heroin seizures, he is currently in detention to face his outstanding 2013 accusations.
On Wednesday, February 25, 2026, NDLEA agents in Imo State busted a covert methamphetamine lab at Isiozi Obiato, Umuaka, in Njaba Local Government Area.
18.4 kg of methamphetamine in total, together with the equipment and precursor ingredients needed to produce the illegal drug, were found.
Femi Babafemi, the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, gave a statement on Sunday outlining the NDLEA’s many nationwide operations.
Officers found 5,000 tramadol pills hidden in the suitcase of a Togolese woman named Hadiza Musa at the departure tarmac at the Seme border in Badagry, Lagos.
Along the Ibeju-Lekki corridor of Lagos, in Akodo community, Seaside Eleko, 1,040 kg of skunk were also found by the operations from an incomplete construction.
Ashiru Bala, a 45-year-old suspect in Kano State, was apprehended with 1,499 bottles of codeine syrup hidden in a Volkswagen Golf. Similarly, on the Zaria–Dutsinma route, 21-year-old Yahaya Usaini was caught in Katsina State carrying 87.4 kg of skunk.
Adewale Fatunmise, 40, and Adebisi Korede, 25, were detained in Osogbo, Osun State, in relation to the confiscation of 18.085 kg of skunk.
NDLEA agents stopped a Mercedes-Benz on the Bali-Suntai route in Taraba State that was carrying 637,600 opioid pills, including exol-5, tramadol, and diazepam. A second operation in Lankaviri Yorro resulted in the recovery of 126.022 kg of skunk and the arrest of 27-year-old Musa Usman.
In the Federal Capital Territory, 499.2 kg of skunk were found in Dei-Dei, Abuja, and in Borno State, a 24-year-old suspect named Bulama Modu was found in possession of 7,000 tramadol capsules on the Bama-Konduga route.
With sensitization talks in schools throughout the states of Niger, Oyo, Jigawa, Cross River, and Kano, the organization also stepped up its War Against Drug Abuse campaign.
The officers of the MMIA, Seme, Lagos, Imo, Borno, Kano, Katsina, Taraba, Osun, and FCT Commands were praised by NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.) for the arrests and seizures.
In response to Chidiebere’s apprehension following more than ten years of evasion, Marwa stated that the agency remained committed to breaking up criminal networks.
He stated, “I commend our officers and men for their persistence and professionalism in this operation,” and that the organization would keep working to bring drug traffickers to justice.
The most recent events highlight NDLEA’s intensified campaign against drug trafficking organizations and its dedication to striking a balance between supply reduction and demand reduction tactics across the country.