Tuesday, September 24, 2024 - Barely 16 months after he was arrested and convicted for ingesting 93 pellets of cocaine, a 48-year-old businessman Christian Ogbuji has been intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Ikeja Lagos.
In a statement released by the spokesperson
of the agency, Femi Babafemi, on Tuesday, September 24, the NDLEA said
Ogbuji was arrested for importing 817 wraps of the same Class A drug weighing
19.40 kilograms with an estimated street value of N4,656bn.
‘’Ogbuji was first arrested at the Nnamdi
Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja, on Wednesday 10th May 2023 upon
arrival from Uganda via Addis Ababa, onboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 951
for ingesting 93 pellets of cocaine with a gross weight of 1.986kg. He was
subsequently arraigned before Federal High Court 12 Abuja presided over by Hon.
Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon in charge no: FHC/ABJ/CR/192/2023 and convicted on
13th July 2023. Ogbuji was sentenced to two years imprisonment with an option
of paying a fine of Three Million Naira (N3,000,000.00), which he paid and was
set free. The court also ordered the forfeiture of the seized 1.986 kilograms
of cocaine, his international passport, 14 US dollars and 9000 Uganda shillings
found on him at the time of his arrest.
Not done
with crime, Ogbuji was again arrested at the Lagos airport on Wednesday 18th
September 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 which was 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 travelling bag that was earlier found 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 added that during interrogation,
the suspect stated that he initially left the backpack containing the drug at
the carousel area as a strategy to beat 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. He claimed he had to
procure a new international passport to continue his criminal trade.
The NDLEA spokesperson further stated
that the investigation reveals Ogbuji is an unrepentant kingpin within the
network of drug cartels operating between Brazil, Ethiopia, Nigeria and others
in the West African sub-region like Benin, Togo, Ghana, Liberia, and Cote
d’Ivoire.
In his reaction to the arrest of Ogbuji,
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd)
commended the officers and men of the MMIA Strategic Command for an excellent
job done, adding that the seizure of such a large consignment of cocaine at the
airport is a milestone that will send a strong message to the international
drug cartels trying to find footholds in Nigeria. He said the Agency will
continue to work to disrupt the activities of drug cartels operating in the
country.
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