NDLEA arrests ex-convict for importing cocaine at Lagos airport

The NDLEA has apprehended an ex-convict, Christian Ogbuji, for allegedly importing 817 wraps of cocaine weighing 19.40 kilograms, with an estimated value of N4.6 billion at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA).

 

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he NDLEA has arrested ex-convict Christian Ogbuji for importing 817 wraps of cocaine weighing 19.40kg, valued at N4.6 billion, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended an ex-convict, Christian Ogbuji, for allegedly importing 817 wraps of cocaine weighing 19.40 kilograms, with an estimated value of N4.6 billion at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA).

 

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This arrest was reported by NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, on Tuesday in Abuja.

Ogbuji, a 48-year-old businessman, was previously convicted for a similar offense. His first arrest occurred on May 10, 2023, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) in Abuja, when he ingested 93 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.986 kg. This was during his arrival from Uganda via Addis Ababa, onboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 951.

Following his conviction on July 13, 2023, by Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon at the Federal High Court 12 Abuja, Ogbuji was sentenced to two years in prison but was granted the option to pay a fine of N3 million, which he did.

The court also ordered the forfeiture of the seized cocaine, his international passport, 14 US dollars, and 9,000 Uganda shillings found at the time of his arrest.

Despite his past conviction, Ogbuji was apprehended again on September 18, during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines flight passengers arriving from Addis Ababa to Lagos.

Initially, NDLEA operatives searched his black travelling bag and found nothing suspicious.

However, Ogbuji made a dubious move by returning to the carousel area and discreetly adding a black backpack, which he had previously left on the conveyor belt, to his cleared luggage.

Vigilant NDLEA officers intercepted him before he exited the arrival hall and conducted a secondary search, which uncovered large wraps of excreted cocaine hidden inside the backpack, concealed within the original black travelling bag.