***Seizes Massive Drug Hauls Nationwide
After more than a decade on the run, notorious drug lord Reginald Peter Chidiebere has finally been brought to justice by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). The arrest follows the seizure of large consignments of cocaine and heroin linked to him at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
Chidiebere’s criminal saga dates back to 2013 when he was first arrested for cocaine trafficking and arraigned before Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court, Lagos (FHC/L/187c/2923). Despite being granted bail, he jumped bail and disappeared, remaining a fugitive for 13 years. His name resurfaced in February 2024 as one of the masterminds behind a 49.70-kilogram heroin shipment from South Africa intercepted at Lagos airport. A follow-up raid at his Golden Platinum Hotel & Suites in Okota, Lagos, recovered an additional 2.20 kilograms of heroin from a guest, forcing Chidiebere further underground. Unable to sustain life on the run, he voluntarily surrendered to the agency on 13 February 2026, now facing his original charges along with new ones linked to the 2024 heroin consignments.
The arrest of Chidiebere forms part of a larger crackdown by NDLEA across the country. In Imo State, operatives dismantled a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Isiozi Obiato, Umuaka, Njaba LGA, seizing 18.4 kilograms of methamphetamine, precursor chemicals, and production equipment. At the Seme border in Lagos, a Togolese woman, Hadiza Musa, was caught carrying 5,000 tramadol pills, while over 1,000 kilograms of skunk cannabis were recovered from an uncompleted building at Akodo village, Ibeju-Lekki.
NDLEA’s operations have also been effective in Kano, Katsina, Osun, Taraba, Borno, and the Federal Capital Territory. Suspects were arrested with large quantities of codeine syrup, tramadol, skunk cannabis, and other opioids, highlighting the agency’s nationwide efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks.
Alongside enforcement, the agency continues to educate the public on the dangers of drug abuse through its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign. Schools and communities across Niger, Oyo, Jigawa, Cross River, and Kano states have benefited from sensitization lectures aimed at curbing drug demand.
Commenting on the operations and Chidiebere’s arrest, NDLEA Chairman/CEO Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) lauded the agency’s officers for their professionalism and persistence. He emphasized that the agency remains committed to dismantling criminal networks and bringing offenders to justice, ensuring a balance between reducing drug supply and curbing drug demand across Nigeria.
