Just 16 months after being arrested and convicted for swallowing 93 pellets of cocaine, 48-year-old businessman Christian Ogbuji has been apprehended by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos.
In a statement issued by agency spokesperson Femi Babafemi on Tuesday, September 24, the NDLEA reported that Ogbuji was arrested for importing 817 wraps of the same Class A drug, weighing 19.40 kilograms, with an estimated street value of N4.656 billion.
Ogbuji was initially arrested at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) in Abuja on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, upon arriving from Uganda via Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 951. He was found to have ingested 93 pellets of cocaine, with a gross weight of 1.986 kg. Following his arrest, he was arraigned before the Federal High Court 12 in Abuja, presided over by Hon. Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon, under charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/192/2023. On July 13, 2023, he was convicted and sentenced to two years in prison, with the option to pay a fine of Three Million Naira (N3,000,000.00), which he paid to secure his release. The court also ordered the forfeiture of the seized 1.986 kilograms of cocaine, his international passport, 14 US dollars, and 9,000 Uganda shillings found at the time of his arrest.
Undeterred by his previous conviction, Ogbuji was arrested again at Lagos airport on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines passengers arriving from Addis Ababa. He approached the joint examination table carrying a black travel bag, which was searched by an NDLEA operative. After clearing the bag, Ogbuji suspiciously returned to the carousel area to add a black backpack he had left on the conveyor belt.
As he attempted to leave the arrival hall, vigilant NDLEA officers intercepted him and conducted a secondary search. During this search, large wraps of excreted cocaine were discovered concealed inside the backpack, which was hidden in the black travel bag. A total of 817 pellets of cocaine, excreted by various traffickers in Addis Ababa and weighing 19.40 kg, were recovered, belonging to different members of a drug cartel.
Babafemi noted that during interrogation, the suspect revealed he had left the backpack containing the drugs at the carousel area as a tactic to evade NDLEA operatives. He claimed he was unaware that a secondary search could occur since his bag had already been cleared without any incriminating findings. Ogbuji also mentioned that he had to obtain a new international passport to continue his criminal activities.
The NDLEA spokesperson further stated that investigations indicate Ogbuji is an unrepentant kingpin within a network of drug cartels operating between Brazil, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and other West African countries, including Benin, Togo, Ghana, Liberia, and Côte d’Ivoire.
In response to Ogbuji’s arrest, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, praised the officers and personnel of the MMIA Strategic Command for their outstanding work. He emphasized that the seizure of such a significant quantity of cocaine at the airport represents a crucial milestone that will send a strong message to international drug cartels attempting to establish a presence in Nigeria. Marwa affirmed that the Agency will persist in its efforts to disrupt the operations of drug cartels within the country.