Barely 16 months after his conviction for drug trafficking, 48-year-old businessman Christian Ifeanyi Ogbuji has been arrested once again for importing 817 wraps of cocaine, weighing 19.40 kilograms, at the Lagos International Airport.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) estimates the street value of the drugs at N4.6 billion.
Ogbuji’s initial arrest occurred at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on May 10, 2023, after arriving from Uganda via Addis Ababa. He had ingested 93 pellets of cocaine, weighing a total of 1.986 kg. He was later convicted by Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court in Abuja on July 13, 2023, receiving a two-year sentence with an option of paying a N3 million fine, which he chose. Along with the drugs, Ogbuji forfeited his international passport and foreign currency, and was set free.
Undeterred, Ogbuji was arrested again on September 18, 2024, upon arrival from Addis Ababa. He was caught after sneaking a backpack, which had been left on the carousel, into a black travel bag that had already been cleared by an NDLEA operative. Upon secondary inspection, officers discovered 817 wraps of cocaine concealed in the bag. The drugs, excreted by multiple traffickers in Addis Ababa, are believed to belong to different members of a West African drug cartel.
Ogbuji confessed that he left the backpack at the carousel intentionally, thinking it would allow him to bypass security. He admitted to procuring a new international passport to continue his trafficking activities. Investigations have revealed Ogbuji’s deep involvement as a kingpin in a drug network operating between Brazil, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and West African nations like Ghana and Liberia.
The NDLEA Chairman, Brig-Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Rtd), praised the Lagos International Airport Command for the significant bust, emphasizing that this arrest sends a strong message to international drug cartels attempting to infiltrate Nigeria. The agency remains committed to dismantling such operations.
