NDLEA: How we arrested wanted drug baron over N1.4bn drugs after 17 years

The operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a wanted 59-year-old drug baron, Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff, after 17 years of hiding in the dark to ship illicit drugs worth billions of naira across the world.

The wanted drug baron was apprehended by NDLEA operatives at his hideout in the Ojo area of Lagos State.

The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, March 3, 202.

Marwa said the operatives of its Special Operations Unit had been on the trail of Ogbonnaya following an Interpol red notice against him and information from the National Intelligence Service of South Korea.

Marwa said: “On Wednesday, 12th February 2025, we arrested Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff, a 59-year-old drug baron. The suspect was arrested at his hideout at No. 3, Ibukunoluwa Taiwo Close, off LASU Road, Lagos.

“He had been under NDLEA investigation before his arrest. As a result, we have comprehensive intelligence on his activities and incontrovertible facts that he is a notorious drug lord who recruited young Nigerians as couriers to smuggle illicit substances into the Republic of Korea (South Korea).

“Our records reveal that many Nigerians apprehended outside the country for drug-related offences were linked to him. Furthermore, we have established that he laundered drug proceeds through the importation of electronics and other goods.

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“Following his arrest, a search of his residence led to the recovery of multiple Nigerian international passports belonging to different individuals, many of which contained Korean visas. Additionally, we recovered some illicit substances in a storehouse at the back of his house.”

While unmasking the suspect’s leadership role in the drug underworld, the NDLEA boss stated: “Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff is not a typical domestic drug baron; he is an international trafficker operating both from Nigeria and abroad. His dossier indicates that he served a one-year prison sentence in the Republic of Korea in 2007 and was deported to Nigeria in 2008. Despite this, he continued his illicit trade, remaining actively involved in drug trafficking operations to the Far East.

“Presently, he is wanted in the Republic of Korea for multiple drug trafficking offences in collaboration with his accomplices. An Interpol Red Notice was issued for his arrest and extradition to the country for offences committed between 2023 and 2024.

“From a series of interdictions, it has been established that Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff is the ringleader of a drug trafficking organisation responsible for smuggling narcotics into the People’s Republic of Korea. He has been orchestrating operations remotely by giving instructions to drug mules and domestic suppliers who are members of his syndicate spread across Cameroon, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Liberia and other East and Southern African countries.”

Marwa, however, assured of NDLEA’s commitment to ensuring that Nigeria does not serve as a base for international drug trafficking operations.

“We will continue our relentless fight against illicit drug networks and their financiers, in line with our mandate to safeguard public health and national security,” he stressed.

The Star