A wanted drug kingpin, Reginald Peter Chidiebere, has surrendered to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) following the seizure of large consignments of cocaine and heroin linked to him by operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
Chidiebere, 50, surrendered to NDLEA on February 13, 2026, after spending 13 years under the Agency’s radar.
The NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement made available to ThelensNG on Sunday.
“The drug lord was first arrested in 2013 over the shipment of cocaine into Nigeria and was subsequently arraigned before Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court Lagos in charge no. FHC/L/187c/2923. He however jumped bail and went into hiding after the trial judge granted him bail in 2013 and has since remained at large.
“In February 2024, his name featured prominently as one of the masterminds of the shipment of 49.70 kilograms heroin imported from South Africa following the interception of the consignment by NDLEA operatives at the import shed of the Lagos airport,” the statement noted.
According to Babafemi, a follow-up operation was carried out on February 19, 2024, at his Golden Platinum Hotel & Suites, located at No. 16/18 Reginald Peter Chidiebere Street, Hope Estate, Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos. The operation led to the recovery of additional 2.20 kilograms of heroin from one of his guests, Igbuanugo Ebuka ThankGod.
Consequently, Chidiebere went underground, while the Agency secured the interim forfeiture of his hotel and blocked all bank accounts traced to him since 2024.
“Following these developments, Chidiebere could no longer sustain himself in hiding, prompting his surrender to the agency on 13th February 2026 and has since been taken into custody to face his pending charges for which he jumped bail in 2013 and fresh charges based on the 2024 heroin consignments linked to him,” Babafemi said.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives dismantled a clandestine laboratory tucked in Isiozi Obiato, Umuaka, Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State on Wednesday, February 25, 2026. 18.4 kilograms of methamphetamine were recovered along with large quantity of precursor chemicals and equipment used in the production of the illicit substance.
At the Seme border in Badagry area of Lagos, NDLEA officers at the departure tarmac on Friday, February 27, intercepted a Togolese woman, Hadiza Musa who concealed 5,000 pills of tramadol in her luggage, while a total of 1,040 kilograms of skunk (a strain of cannabis) were recovered from an uncompleted building at Akodo village, Seaside Eleko, along Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos by operatives on Wednesday, February 25.
A suspect, Ashiru Bala, 45, was arrested with 1,499 bottles of codeine syrup at Lambu, Tafa LGA, Kano State, on Wednesday, February 25 while conveying the consignment in his Volkswagen Golf car marked CA 911 ABC. Another suspect Yahaya Usaini, 21, was nabbed on Friday, February 27 while transporting 87.4 kilograms of skunk in a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number KUJ 544 RL along Zaria-Dutsinma road, Katsina State.
In Osun, two suspects — Adewale Fatunmise, 40, and Adebisi Korede, 25, were arrested by NDLEA operatives in connection with the seizure of 18.085kg skunk at Aregbe area of Osogbo, the state capital, on Monday, February 23.
No fewer than 637,600 pills of opioids, including tramadol, diazepam and exol-5 were recovered when NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence on Thursday, February 26, intercepted a Mercedes-Benz vehicle marked KWL-607DC along Bali-Suntai road while conveying the consignment to Baruwa in Gashaka LGA, Taraba State. A similar interdiction at Lankaviri Yorro area of the state led to the arrest of Musa Usman, 27, and the seizure of 126.022kg skunk.
The statement added: “While 499.2kg skunk was recovered at Dei-Dei area of the FCT, Abuja, on Wednesday 25th February, a suspect, Bulama Modu, 24, was intercepted in a commercial vehicle conveying 7,000 capsules of tramadol along Bama -Konduga road, Borno State, on Tuesday 24th February.”
In the same vein, the Commands and formations of the Agency continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities across the country in the past week.
The activities included WADA sensitisation lecture to students and staff of Government Girls Science Secondary School, Tungan Magajiya, Niger State; Federal Government College, Odo Oru, Ogbomoso, Oyo State; Government Day Senior Secondary School, Fagam, Jigawa State; Government Science College, Esuk Ekpoeyo, Cross River; and Government Junior Secondary School, Rumfa College, Kano State.
Reacting to the arrests and seizures, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended the officers and men of the MMIA, Seme, Lagos, Imo, Borno, Kano, Katsina, Taraba, Osun, and FCT Commands for their professionalism and commitment.
Marwa also praised their counterparts in all Commands across the country for maintaining a fair balance between drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
Regarding the eventual arrest of Chidiebere after 13 years on the run, the NDLEA boss stated that the Agency remains resolute in dismantling criminal networks and bringing all offenders to justice.
“I commend our officers and men for their persistence and professionalism in this operation,” he added.
