The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has secured the arrest and repatriation of a suspected fugitive drug kingpin who evaded arrest for two years.
The arrest came following the interception of the single largest heroin consignment ever recorded at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos.
This is contained in a statement by the NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi on Wednesday in Abuja.
The agency said that the suspect relocated to Mozambique where he operated a hotel business as a front.
Mr Babafemi said that the suspect was one of three suspects declared wanted and charged in absentia after operatives of the agency’s MMIA Strategic Command in a coordinated 12-day operation in February 2024, intercepted 49.70kg of heroin.
He said that the illicit drugs were concealed in cartons of metal-cutting machines at the Import Shed of the airport’s cargo terminal.
He also said that the operation led to the arrest of key members of the syndicate, including his wife, who routinely received drug-laden parcels marked with the code “ND” on his behalf.
He added that the intervention also resulted in the freezing of 107 bank accounts and the forfeiture of properties linked to the cartel.
Mr Babafemi said that for over two years, the suspect remained a fugitive, shuttling between Mozambique and Nigeria through neighbouring Benin Republic in a calculated bid to evade Nigerian law enforcement.
He said that the evasion came to an end following actionable intelligence, which led to his arrest at the airport in Cotonou, Benin Republic on Wednesday, Sept. 2 while the agency worked with INTERPOL both in Nigeria and Benin Republic.
This, he said, was to facilitate his handover to a team of NDLEA operatives deployed to Cotonou on Sept. 4.
“He was thereafter conveyed to Nigeria to answer for his 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, established to be linked to him.
Reacting to the development, the NDLEA Chairman, retired, Brig.- Gen. Buba Marwa described the arrest as a major breakthrough in the Agency’s relentless pursuit of 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,” Mr Marwa said.
“As I have always vowed, the long arm of the NDLEA will catch up with anyone involved in this illicit trade, no matter how long it takes or how far they run.
“He ran for over two years, hiding under a another name and a new life abroad, but today he is back in Nigeria to answer for the 49.70kg heroin seizure linked to his network.
”This should serve as a fresh warning to fleeing suspects still at large: the Agency will not relent until every one of you is brought to book,” he said.
The NDLEA chairman commended the excellent multinational cooperation that made the breakthrough possible, particularly the Nigerian and Beninese INTERPOL National Central Bureaus for their role in ensuring a smooth transfer of custody.
NAN
