Ex-Convict Arrested for Attempted Import of N4.6bn Cocaine

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended a 48-year-old businessman, Christian Ogbuji, for attempting to import cocaine valued at N4.6 billion. This arrest marks Ogbuji’s second run-in with the law in just over a year.

Ogbuji was initially 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 weighing 1.986 kg. Following his arrest, he was arraigned before the Federal High Court 12 in Abuja, where he was convicted on July 13, 2023, and sentenced to two years in prison with the option to pay a fine of N3,000,000. He paid the fine and forfeited the seized cocaine, his international passport, as well as 14 US dollars and 9,000 Uganda shillings discovered during his arrest.

However, just 16 months later, on September 18, 2024, Ogbuji was apprehended again, this time at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos, for importing 817 wraps of cocaine weighing 19.40 kilograms. The estimated street value of this latest haul is N4,656,000,000.

Femi Babafemi, spokesperson for the NDLEA, stated, “Barely 16 months after he was arrested and convicted for ingesting 93 pellets of cocaine, Christian Ifeanyi Ogbuji has been intercepted by operatives of the NDLEA at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport for importing 817 wraps of the same Class A drug.”

Ogbuji was arrested during an inward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines passengers. After initially presenting a black traveling bag for inspection, he attempted to sneak a black backpack back into the bag after it had been cleared. Vigilant NDLEA officers, however, intercepted him and conducted a secondary search, uncovering large wraps of excreted cocaine concealed within the backpack.

Babafemi explained, “It was then large wraps of excreted cocaine were found concealed inside the backpack hidden in the black traveling bag.” A total of 817 pellets belonging to various members of a drug cartel were recovered.

During questioning, Ogbuji revealed that he left the backpack in the carousel area to evade NDLEA operatives, mistakenly believing that no further searches would occur since his initial bag had been cleared. He admitted to obtaining a new international passport to continue his illegal activities.

Babafemi added, “Investigation reveals Ogbuji is an unrepentant kingpin within the network of drug cartels operating between Brazil, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and other West African countries, including Benin, Togo, Ghana, Liberia, and Cote d’Ivoire.”