The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested Christian Ogbuji, an ex-convict, for importing 817 wraps of cocaine weighing 19.40 kg, valued at approximately ₦4.6 billion, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA).
According to NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, this arrest follows Ogbuji’s previous conviction 16 months earlier for ingesting 93 pellets of cocaine. He was initially apprehended at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, on May 10, 2023, upon arriving from Uganda via Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 951. He was convicted on July 13, 2023, sentenced to two years in prison, and given the option to pay a ₦3 million fine, which he did, leading to his release.
Babafemi revealed that the court ordered the forfeiture of the 1.986 kg of cocaine seized during Ogbuji’s first arrest, along with his international passport and cash found on him at that time.
On September 18, 2024, Ogbuji was again arrested at the Lagos airport during the clearance of Ethiopian Airlines passengers arriving from Addis Ababa. He attempted to deceive NDLEA operatives by sneaking a black backpack filled with cocaine back into a cleared black traveling bag. Vigilant officers intercepted him and discovered the concealed drugs during a secondary search.
A total of 817 pellets of cocaine, excreted by various traffickers from Addis Ababa, were recovered, indicating Ogbuji’s involvement in a larger drug cartel. During questioning, Ogbuji claimed that he left the backpack at the carousel area as a tactic to avoid detection and revealed he had procured a new international passport to continue his illicit activities.