A 48-year-old businessman, Christian Ifeanyi Ogbuji, has been apprehended again by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos. He was intercepted for importing 817 wraps of cocaine weighing 19.40 kilograms, valued at N4.656 billion.
This arrest comes barely 16 months after Ogbuji was convicted for ingesting 93 pellets of cocaine. He was first arrested at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, in May 2023 upon arrival from Uganda via Addis Ababa. He had ingested 1.986 kilograms of cocaine and was convicted in July 2023. He was sentenced to two years in prison but was released after paying a fine of N3 million.
Ogbuji’s latest arrest occurred on September 18, 2024, after arriving in Lagos from Addis Ababa. Following a routine search, he attempted to conceal a backpack containing the large quantity of excreted cocaine by sneaking it onto a conveyor belt after his initial luggage check. NDLEA operatives, however, intercepted him during a secondary search and recovered the drugs, which were linked to multiple traffickers operating under a cartel in Addis Ababa.
The NDLEA’s investigation reveals that Ogbuji is a key player in a network of drug cartels spanning Brazil, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and West African countries like Benin, Togo, Ghana, Liberia, and Cote d’Ivoire. In response to his arrest, NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) praised the officers at MMIA for their vigilance and emphasized that this seizure is a significant blow to international drug cartels seeking to expand their operations in Nigeria. The NDLEA remains committed to disrupting drug trafficking activities in the country.
