After 13 years in hiding, a notorious drug kingpin Reginald Peter Chidiebere has been taken into custody.
In a statement by the spokesperson of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi 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.
A follow-up operation was carried out on 19th February 2024 at his Golden Platinum Hotel & Suites, located at No. 16/18 Reginald Peter Chidiebere Street, Hope Estate, Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos where an additional 2.20 kilograms of heroin was recovered from one of his guests, Igbuanugo Ebuka ThankGod.
As a result, Chidiebere went underground. The agency however 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.
The War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities equally continued across Commands and formations of the Agency all over the country in the past week.
Some of them include: WADA sensitization 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, among others.
While commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Seme, Lagos, Imo, Borno, Kano, Katsina, Taraba, Osun and FCT Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) equally praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for ensuring a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
Reacting to the eventual arrest of Chidiebere after 13 years on the run, Marwa said 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.
