A 48-year-old businessman, Christian Ogbuji, has been re-arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for alleged drug trafficking.
Ogbuji, described as a “hardened drug kingpin,” was first apprehended at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on May 10, 2023. He was caught attempting to smuggle 93 pellets of cocaine (weighing 1.986kg) into the country from Uganda via Addis Ababa.
Following his arrest, Ogbuji was charged and convicted in a Federal High Court in Abuja. He was sentenced to two years in prison or a fine of N3 million.
According to the NDLEA, Ogbuji opted to pay the fine. As part of his conviction, he also forfeited the seized cocaine and his passport. Additionally, authorities found $14 and 9000 Ugandan shillings in his possession at the time of his arrest.
However, the NDLEA revealed that 16 months later, Ogbuji was arrested again on September 18 with N4.6bn worth of cocaine.
Babafemi said, “Barely 16 months after he was arrested and convicted for ingesting 93 pellets of cocaine, a 48-year-old businessman Christian Ifeanyi Ogbuji has been intercepted by operatives of the NDLEA at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos for importing 817 wraps of the same Class A drug weighing 19.40 kilograms with an estimated street value of N4,656,000,000.00.
“Ogbuji was again arrested at the Lagos airport on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, during an inward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines flight passengers from Addis Ababa to Lagos. The suspect had approached the joint examination table with a black travelling bag searched by an NDLEA operative who cleared the luggage.
“In a dubious move, Ogbuji sneaked back to the carousel area to put inside the cleared bag a black backpack he left on the conveyor’s belt.
“As he made his way out of the arrival hall, vigilant NDLEA officers intercepted him and subjected him to a secondary search. It was then large wraps of excreted cocaine were found concealed inside the backpack hidden in the black bag that was earlier with the suspect. A total of 817 pellets of cocaine excreted by many traffickers in Addis Ababa weighing 19.40kg belonging to different members of a drug cartel were recovered.“
Babafemi said during an interview with the suspect that he initially left the backpack containing the drug at the carousel area as a strategy to beat the NDLEA operatives, adding that he never knew there could be a secondary search since he had presented his bag for search previously and nothing incriminating was found.
The spokesperson said the suspect claimed he had to buy a new passport to continue his criminal trade.
“Investigation reveals Ogbuji is an unrepentant kingpin within the network of drug cartels operating between Brazil, Ethiopia, Nigeria and other countries in the West African sub-region like Benin, Togo, Ghana, Liberia, and Cote d’Ivoire,” he added.
