A 48-year-old businessman, Christian Ifeanyi Ogbuji, described as an “unrepentant kingpin,” has been rearrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for allegedly importing N4.6 billion worth of cocaine. Ogbuji was first arrested in May 2023 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for ingesting 93 pellets of cocaine. After his initial conviction and a two-year prison sentence, which he avoided by paying a N3 million fine, he has now been apprehended again.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, Ogbuji was arrested on September 18, 2024, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. He had arrived on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa with 817 wraps of cocaine weighing 19.40 kilograms hidden in a black backpack. NDLEA operatives, after a secondary search, discovered the concealed drugs, which were excreted by traffickers and intended for distribution by a drug cartel operating across several countries, including Brazil, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and West African nations.
Ogbuji reportedly admitted to leaving the backpack containing the drugs at the luggage carousel, hoping to avoid detection during the initial search. Babafemi noted that Ogbuji had also acquired a new passport to continue his illicit trade. Investigations reveal that he is a significant figure in a network of drug cartels operating in West Africa.
