The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested 58-year-old fugitive drug lord Uzoma Valentine Ilomuanya, wanted in the United Kingdom and Nigeria for more than 15 years.
Ilomuanya was apprehended in Lagos on February 23 following a coordinated operation by the NDLEA Special Operations Unit.
The arrest ends a long cat-and-mouse pursuit involving multiple drug-related offences across Nigeria and the UK.
He was first arrested in the UK in 2003 and convicted of drug trafficking, serving two years of a nine-year sentence after appeal.
He faced further UK drug charges in 2011 but jumped bail and fled to Nigeria.
In November 2018, NDLEA arrested him after uncovering two clandestine methamphetamine laboratories in Obinugwu, Imo State, and Lagos, seizing nearly 78 kilograms of meth and extensive production equipment.
Ilomuanya again jumped bail and remained at large until this week.
Reacting to the arrest, NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) called it “a significant breakthrough in our fight against drug cartels.”
“This arrest sends a stern warning to those who think they can hide behind borders to escape justice,” Marwa said.
“Whether you jump bail in London or set up clandestine labs in your village, the long arm of the NDLEA will catch up with those undermining our nation’s security and health.”
He commended the Special Operations Unit for professionalism and resilience, promising continued intelligence-led operations and strengthened international collaboration to dismantle drug networks.
