NDLEA intercepts ex-convict with cocaine worth over N4.6 billion at Lagos airport

Less than 16 months after he was arrested and convicted for allegedly possessing 93 pellets of cocaine, 48-year-old businessman Christian Ogbuji was intercepted by agents of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. He was arrested for allegedly importing 817 wraps of the same Class A drug weighing 19.4 kilograms and having an estimated street value of over 4.6 billion naira.

According to a statement by the spokesperson of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi, Ogbuji was first arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Wednesday, May 10, 2023 upon arrival from Uganda via Addis Ababa, on board Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 951 for allegedly confiscating 93 pellets of cocaine with a gross weight of 1.986 kilograms. He was subsequently arraigned before the Federal High Court 12 Abuja presided over by Hon. Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon in charge no: FHC/ABJ/CR/192/2023 and convicted on July 13, 2023. Ogbuji was sentenced to two years imprisonment with an option to pay a fine of N3 million, which he paid and was released.

Babafemi said Ogbuji also forfeited, on the orders of the court, the seized 1.986 kilograms of cocaine, his international passport, US$14 and Ugandan shillings 9,000 found on him upon his arrest.

The spokesperson said: “Not done with the crime yet, Ogbuji was arrested again at the Lagos Airport on Wednesday, September 18, 2024 during an internal check of Ethiopian Airlines flight passengers from Addis Ababa to Lagos. The suspect had walked with a black duffel bag to the joint screening table which was being searched by an NDLEA operative who was searching the luggage. In a dubious move, Ogbuji sneaked back to the carousel area to stuff in the released bag a black backpack he had left on the conveyor belt.
As he was walking out of the arrivals hall, he was intercepted by vigilant NDLEA officers and subjected to a second search. Subsequently, large wraps of excreted cocaine were found hidden in the backpack that had been found earlier on the suspect.

He said that a total of 817 pellets of cocaine were found which had been excreted by many traders in Addis Ababa. They weighed 19.4 kilograms and belonged to several members of a drug cartel.

Babafemi, during the suspect’s interrogation, said he initially left the backpack containing the drugs at the carousel as a strategy to outwit NDLEA operatives, adding that he never knew there might be a “secondary search” as he had previously submitted his bag for search and nothing incriminating was found. He claimed he had to obtain a new international passport to continue his criminal trade.

The spokesman said investigations have shown that Ogbuji is an unrepentant leader within the network of drug cartels operating between Brazil, Ethiopia, Nigeria and other West African sub-regions such as Benin, Togo, Ghana, Liberia and Ivory Coast.

Reacting to the arrest of Ogbuji, Chairman/CEO of NDLEA, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the officers and men of the MMIA Strategic Command for the excellent work they have done. He added that the seizure of such a large consignment of cocaine at the airport is a milestone that will send a strong message to the international drug cartels trying to gain a foothold in Nigeria.

However, he assured that the agency will continue to work to disrupt the activities of drug cartels operating in the country.

Michael Olugbode