Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested 58-year-old drug trafficker Uzoma Valentine Ilomuanya, a fugitive wanted in both Nigeria and the UK for over 15 years. The dramatic takedown in Lagos on Monday, February 23, 2026, by the agency’s Special Operations Unit delivers a major setback to international drug networks.
Ilomuanya’s history of evasion began in February 2003, when UK authorities jailed him for nine years on drug trafficking charges—though he served just two after a successful appeal. Rearrested in July 2011, he jumped administrative bail and fled to Nigeria.
NDLEA officers nabbed him again in November 2018 after uncovering two secret methamphetamine labs: one at his home in Obinugwu, Orlu LGA, Imo State, and another at his Lagos residence on Barrister Declan Uzoma Close. They seized 77.960 kilograms of methamphetamine and production gear, but he escaped bail once more—until now.
NDLEA Chairman/CEO Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa hailed the arrest as a “significant breakthrough” in battling drug cartels. “This serves as a stern warning to those who think they can hide behind borders to escape justice,” he 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 health, security, and future.”
Marwa praised the Special Operations Unit’s professionalism and reaffirmed NDLEA’s focus on intelligence-driven ops and global partnerships to keep Nigeria from harboring drug lords.
