The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, or NDLEA, has apprehended a prominent drug kingpin, Reginald Peter Chidiebere, after 13 years in hiding, following the discovery of massive consignments of cocaine and heroin linked to him.
According to a statement from the NDLEA, Chidiebere was arrested after operatives discovered cocaine shipments linked to him at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
“After 13 years in hiding, a notorious drug kingpin Reginald Peter Chidiebere has been taken into custody following the seizure of large consignments of cocaine and heroin linked to him by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos.” The organization explained.
According to the NDLEA, the suspect was first detained in 2013 for importing cocaine into Nigeria and was later brought before Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court in Lagos under charge number FHC/L/187c/2923. He was given bail, but he jumped bail soon after and went into hiding, remaining at large for years.
“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,” according to the organization.
On February 19, 2024, a follow-up procedure was carried out at his Golden Platinum Hotel & Suites, which is located at 16/18 Reginald Peter Chidiebere Street, Hope Estate, Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos. During the operation, an additional 2.20 kg of heroin were discovered on one of his guests, Igbuanugo Ebuka ThankGod.
“As a result, Chidiebere went underground,” the agency explained.
The agency later obtained an interim seizure of his hotel and froze any bank accounts linked to him since 2024.
The NDLEA stated that the suspect later surrendered when he could no longer subsist on the run.
“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,” according to the organization.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives dismantled a clandestine drug laboratory in Imo State on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at Isiozi Obiato, Umuaka, Njaba Local Government Area, recovering 18.4 kilograms of methamphetamine as well as large quantities of precursor chemicals and drug production equipment.
On Friday, February 27, NDLEA officers apprehended Hadiza Musa, a Togolese woman, at the Seme Border in Badagry, Lagos, after discovering 5,000 tramadol pills in her luggage. On Wednesday, February 25, 1,040 kg of skunk, a cannabis variety, were confiscated from an uncompleted building in Akodo village, Seaside Eleko, along Lagos’ Ibeju-Lekki axis.
In Kano State, Ashiru Bala, 45, was apprehended in Lambu, Tafa LGA, while transporting 1,499 vials of codeine syrup in a Volkswagen Golf tagged CA 911 ABC.
Another suspect, Yahaya Usaini, 21, was apprehended on Friday, February 27, while transporting 87.4 kilograms of skunk in a Toyota Hiace bus bearing the registration number KUJ 544 RL on the Zaria-Dutsinma road in Katsina state.
The NDLEA also stated that 637,600 opioid pills, including tramadol, diazepam, and exol-5, were recovered on Thursday, February 26, when operatives intercepted a Mercedes-Benz vehicle bearing the registration number KWL-607DC on the Bali-Suntai road while transporting the drugs to Baruwa in Gashaka LGA, Taraba State. A similar operation in Lankaviri Yorro resulted in the arrest of Musa Usman, 27, and the recovery of 126.022 kg of skunk.
On Wednesday, February 25, 499.2 kg of skunk were found in Abuja’s Dei-Dei district, while a suspect, Bulama Modu, 24, was apprehended in a commercial vehicle with 7,000 tramadol capsules along the Bama-Konduga road in Borno State on Tuesday, February 24.
While commending officers from various commands, NDLEA Chairman and CEO Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd.) applauded their efforts to strike a fair balance between drug supply and demand reduction initiatives.