Barely 16 months after his arrest and conviction for ingesting 93 pellets of cocaine, 48-year-old businessman Christian Ogbuji has once again been apprehended by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos.
According to a statement from the Director of Media and Advocacy at NDLEA Headquarters in Abuja, Ogbuji was arrested for importing 817 wraps of cocaine, a Class A drug, weighing 19.40 kilograms with an estimated street value of ₦4.656 billion.
Ogbuji was first arrested at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on May 10, 2023, after arriving from Uganda via Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 951.
He was found to have ingested 93 pellets of cocaine with a total weight of 1.986 kg.
He was later arraigned before the Federal High Court 12 in Abuja, presided over by Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon, under charge no. FHC/ABJ/CR/192/2023. Ogbuji was convicted on July 13, 2023, and sentenced to two years in prison, with the option of a ₦3 million fine, which he paid to secure his release.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of the 1.986 kg of cocaine, along with his international passport, 14 US dollars, and 9,000 Ugandan shillings found during his arrest.
However, Ogbuji returned to his criminal activities and was again arrested at Lagos airport on September 18, 2024, during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines passengers arriving from Addis Ababa.
After presenting a black traveling bag at the joint examination table, which was cleared by an NDLEA officer, Ogbuji suspiciously returned to the baggage carousel to retrieve a black backpack he had left behind.
He attempted to conceal the backpack in the previously cleared bag. As he attempted to leave the arrival hall, vigilant NDLEA officers intercepted him for a secondary search.
During this inspection, large wraps of excreted cocaine were found concealed inside the backpack hidden within the black traveling bag.
A total of 817 pellets of cocaine, excreted by multiple traffickers in Addis Ababa and weighing 19.40kg, were recovered. The drugs belonged to various members of a drug cartel.
During an interview with the suspect, he admitted that he deliberately left the backpack containing the drugs at the carousel as part of a strategy to evade NDLEA operatives. He added that he was unaware of the possibility of a secondary search, believing that once his bag had been checked without any incriminating items found, he was in the clear.
Ogbuji also revealed that he had procured a new international passport to continue his involvement in the illicit drug trade.
NDLEA said, “Investigation revealed Ogbuji is an unrepentant kingpin within the network of drug cartels operating between Brazil, Ethiopia, Nigeria and others in the West African sub-region like Benin, Togo, Ghana, Liberia, and Cote d’Ivoire.”
In his reaction to the arrest of Ogbuji, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Rtd) commended the officers and men of the MMIA Strategic Command for an excellent job done, adding 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 find footholds in Nigeria.
He said the Agency will continue to work to disrupt the activities of drug cartels operating in the country.