NDLEA Captures Drug Kingpin After 13 Years in Hiding

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested Reginald Peter Chidieber, a notorious drug kingpin, after 13 years of evading capture. Chidieber was implicated in a significant cocaine and heroin trafficking case since 2013 and had jumped bail after being granted conditional release.

His name resurfaced in February 2024 when he was identified as the mastermind behind the importation of 49.70 kilograms of heroin from South Africa, which was intercepted at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. Following a raid on February 19, 2024, at a hotel in Lagos, additional heroin was recovered.

Chidieber surrendered to NDLEA operatives on February 13, 2026, and is currently in custody facing charges from 2013 and new charges related to the 2024 heroin trafficking case. Additionally, on February 25, 2026, the NDLEA dismantled a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Njaba Local Government Area, Imo State, recovering 18.4 kilograms of methamphetamine and significant quantities of precursor chemicals.