The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested and repatriated a suspected drug kingpin who had evaded arrest for more than two years.
The suspect was arrested following the interception of 49.70kg of heroin at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, in February 2024.
The agency said the suspect was one of three individuals declared wanted and charged in absentia after operatives intercepted the heroin consignment, described as the largest single heroin seizure recorded at the airport.
The drugs were concealed in cartons of metal-cutting machines at the Import Shed of the airport’s cargo terminal.
The operation led to the arrest of key members of the trafficking syndicate, including the suspect’s wife, who routinely received drug-laden parcels marked with the code “ND” on his behalf.
The agency also froze 107 bank accounts and secured the forfeiture of properties linked to the cartel.
The suspect reportedly relocated to Mozambique, where he operated a hotel business as a front, and travelled between Mozambique and Nigeria through neighbouring Benin Republic in an attempt to evade arrest.
The NDLEA said actionable intelligence led to his arrest at the airport in Cotonou, Benin Republic, on Sept. 2, with the assistance of INTERPOL in Nigeria and Benin Republic.
A team of NDLEA operatives was deployed to Cotonou on Sept. 4 to facilitate his handover, after which he was conveyed to Nigeria to face charges over his alleged role in the trafficking syndicate.
During preliminary interviews, the 52-year-old suspect confirmed his identity.
On Sept. 5, he was taken to the agency’s Central Exhibit Store in Ikoyi, Lagos, where he formally identified the parcels of heroin bearing the “ND” code, which were established to be linked to him.
The NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, described the arrest as a major breakthrough in the agency’s efforts to apprehend fleeing drug kingpins.
“The arrest is a major breakthrough in our resolve to track down and bring to justice every drug baron who thinks that fleeing Nigeria’s shores puts them beyond the reach of the law,” Marwa said.
He commended the Nigerian and Beninese INTERPOL National Central Bureaus for their role in facilitating the transfer of custody.
