NDLEA arrests fugitive drug suspect wanted in UK after 15 years

By Zainab Uzomah|Abuja

Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has arrested a suspected drug trafficker who had been wanted by authorities in both Nigeria and the United Kingdom for more than 15 years.

The agency said the 58-year-old suspect, Uzoma Valentine Ilomuanya, was arrested in Lagos on 23 February during an operation carried out by its Special Operations Unit.

According to a statement signed by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, Ilomuanya had been on the agency’s wanted list for years over alleged involvement in international drug trafficking.

The agency said he was first arrested in the United Kingdom in 2003 and convicted of drug traffickingThe agency said he was first arrested in the United Kingdom in 2003 and convicted of drug trafficking offences, receiving a nine-year prison sentence before being released after two years following an appeal.

Authorities said he was arrested again in the UK in 2011 on further drug-related allegations but fled to Nigeria after being granted administrative bail.

In 2018, NDLEA officers arrested him in Nigeria after discovering two suspected methamphetamine laboratories in Imo State and Lagos, where about 77.96 kilograms of the drug and production equipment were recovered.

The agency said Ilomuanya was charged before a Federal High Court in Lagos but later absconded after being granted bail.

Reacting to the latest arrest, NDLEA chairman Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd) described it as a major breakthrough in efforts todismantle drug trafficking networks.

He said the operation demonstrates that suspects involved in international drug crimes would eventually face justice.

The NDLEA also praised officers involved in the operation, saying the agency remains committed to strengthening intelligence-led operations and cooperation with international partners to combat drug trafficking.