NDLEA arrests wanted drug kingpin after 15-year manhunt

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has apprehended a 58-year-old drug lord, Uzoma Ilomuanya, who has been on the wanted list of NDLEA and British authorities for over 15 years.

The NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Babafemi revealed that Ilomuanya was arrested in Lagos on February 23, 2026, following a well-coordinated operation by officers of a Special Operations Unit of the NDLEA.

Babafemi said Ilomuanya’s arrest ended a long-standing cat-and-mouse game with the law following his long history of drug related crimes across Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

The NDLEA spokesman said the suspect was first arrested in February 2003 and convicted in the United Kingdom for drug trafficking.

He stated that Ilomuanya was sentenced to nine years imprisonment but was later released after two years in prison upon appeal.

Babafemi added: “Not done with crime, he was again arrested in the UK in July 2011 for drug-related offences. He was granted administrative bail but jumped jurisdiction and fled to Nigeria.

Court adjourns terrorism trial of Malami, son to March 10

“Typical of a recidivist, Ilomuanya was in November 2018 arrested in Nigeria by NDLEA operatives following the discovery of two clandestine methamphetamine laboratories in his Obinugwu, Orlu LGA country home in Imo State, and at his No. 3 Barrister Declan Uzoma Close Lagos house where officers recovered 77.960 kilograms of methamphetamine and extensive production equipment.

“He was subsequently charged before a Federal High Court, Lagos after which he jumped court bail and has been on the run since then.”

Speaking on Ilomuanya’s arrest, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Rtd), described the development as a significant breakthrough in the agency’s relentless war against drug cartels.

Marwa commended the anti-narcotic officers for their professionalism, resilience, and diligence, stressing that the agency remains unwavering in its commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks operating in Nigeria.

The Star