The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended a 48-year-old ex-convict, Christian Ogbuji, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, for attempting to smuggle 19.4 kilograms of cocaine worth over N4.6 billion. This arrest comes just 16 months after Ogbuji’s conviction for a similar offense.
According to a statement by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, Ogbuji was initially arrested in May 2023 at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for ingesting 93 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.986 kilograms. He was convicted and sentenced to two years imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Abuja but was released after paying a N3 million fine.
Despite his prior conviction, Ogbuji was again arrested on September 18, 2024, during an inward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines passengers from Addis Ababa. After an initial search cleared him, he was caught attempting to smuggle a backpack with 817 pellets of cocaine hidden inside his luggage.
NDLEA officers uncovered the drugs after a secondary search, revealing the cocaine had been excreted by multiple traffickers and belonged to a drug cartel operating between Brazil, Ethiopia, and West African countries. Ogbuji admitted to leaving the backpack at the carousel as part of a plan to evade detection.
NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) praised the officers for the successful interception, emphasizing that the seizure would send a strong message to international drug cartels attempting to establish a foothold in Nigeria. He assured the public that the agency remains committed to disrupting the operations of drug trafficking networks.
