NDLEA Arraigns Drug Kingpin, Wife Over 49.7kg Heroin Shipment

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arraigned an alleged fugitive drug kingpin, Festus Ibewuike, alongside his wife, Ndidiamaka Ibewuike, and another woman, Onyinye Igbokwuputa, before the Federal High Court in Lagos over the alleged importation of 49.7 kilogrammes of heroin.

Ibewuike, also known as Chidibest Ibewuike, was arraigned on an amended six-count charge before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa after he was arrested in the Benin Republic, more than two years after he went on the run.

The charges also included alleged conspiracy, unlawful importation and possession of the prohibited substance, as well as money laundering.

The arraignment followed the NDLEA’s interception of 49.7 kilogrammes of heroin concealed in cartons of metal-cutting machines at the import shed of the Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, in February 2024.

The agency described the seizure as the single largest heroin consignment intercepted at the airport.

The agency had claimed that the consignment was intercepted during a coordinated 12-day operation in February 2024, which led to the arrest of several members of the alleged trafficking syndicate.

Ibewuike was among three suspects declared wanted and charged in absentia after the seizure.

The NDLEA alleged that the first defendant fled Nigeria and relocated to Mozambique, where he ran a hotel business, moving between countries to evade arrest.

His wife, Ndidiamaka, was accused of receiving drug-laden parcels on her husband’s behalf, some of which were marked with codes including “ND”.

The investigation reportedly led to the freezing of 107 bank accounts and the forfeiture of properties allegedly linked to the syndicate.

Ibewuike’s period on the run ended following his arrest at the Cotonou airport in the Benin Republic on September 2, 2026.

The amended charge alleges that Ibewuike conspired with several other suspects, including three men who have since been convicted, to import the heroin consignment into Nigeria on or about February 10, 2024.

All three defendants pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them.

After their pleas were taken, the prosecutor, Abu Ibrahim, urged the court to fix a trial date and remand the first defendant in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service.

However, counsel to the first defendant informed the court that a bail application had been filed and served on the prosecution.

Ibrahim confirmed receipt of the application but said the NDLEA would file a counter-affidavit, adding that the prosecution still had time to respond.

Justice Lewis-Allagoa adjourned the case until November 18 for the hearing of the bail application and ordered that Ibewuike be remanded in a correctional facility.