NDLEA Charges Festus Ibewuike and Wife with Drug Trafficking
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arraigned Festus Ibewuike, an alleged fugitive drug kingpin, alongside his wife Ndidiamaka Ibewuike and another woman, Onyinye Igbokwuputa, before the Federal High Court in Lagos. They face charges related to the importation of 49.7 kilogrammes of heroin.
Ibewuike, also known as Chidibest Ibewuike, was arrested in the Benin Republic on September 2, 2026, after being on the run for over two years. The charges include conspiracy, unlawful importation, possession of the prohibited substance, and money laundering.
The heroin was intercepted in February 2024 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, concealed in cartons of metal-cutting machines. The NDLEA described this seizure as the largest heroin consignment intercepted at the airport.
All three defendants pleaded not guilty, and the case was adjourned until November 18 for a bail application hearing, with Ibewuike remanded in custody.
Plus234Feed summary based on reporting from Leadership Newspaper. Read the original report below.
Read full article
Continue on Leadership Newspaper
Get the week in one email
Top stories, NPFL results, the naira, every Friday morning. Free, one email a week.
Related Stories
NDLEA Arrests Fugitive Linked to Major Heroin Seizure
NDLEA Arrests Drug Kingpin Festus Ibewuike in Benin
NDLEA Intercepts 354,000 Opioid Tablets, Arrests Trafficker
NDLEA Charges Two Nigerian-Mexican Drug Kingpins in Enugu
NDLEA Seizes 2.3 Tonnes of Illicit Drugs Across Nigeria
NDLEA Arrests South African Woman with Cannabis in Nigeria
Get Plus234Feed on messaging apps
Same headlines, delivered where you already scroll.
