Dare Babalola
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested 58-year-old Uzoma Ilomuanya, a fugitive wanted by the agency and UK authorities for over 15 years on drug-related charges.
Ilomuanya has a record of drug-related crimes in Nigeria and the United Kingdom, according to NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi’s statement on Wednesday.
Ilomuanya was arrested in Lagos on Monday, February 23, 2026, after a Special Operations Unit of the NDLEA conducted an operation.
Babafemi stated that Ilomuanya was first arrested in February 2003 and convicted in the UK for drug trafficking. He was sentenced to nine years in prison but served only two years after a successful appeal.
He said the suspect was again arrested in the UK in July 2011 for drug-related offences and granted administrative bail, but fled to Nigeria.
In November 2018, Babafemi said the suspect was arrested in Nigeria by NDLEA operatives after two clandestine methamphetamine laboratories were discovered at his residence in Lagos.
The statement partly read, “In a significant blow to international drug trafficking networks, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a 58-year-old fugitive drug lord Uzoma Valentine Ilomuanya, who has been on the wanted list of NDLEA and British authorities for over 15 years. Ilomuanya was apprehended at a location in Lagos on Monday, 23rd February 2026, following a high-stakes, well-coordinated operation by officers of a Special Operations Unit of the Agency
“His arrest ends a long-standing cat-and-mouse game with the law following his long history of drug-related crimes across Nigeria and the United Kingdom, which highlight a persistent involvement in the global narcotics trade.
“He was first arrested in February 2003 and convicted in the United Kingdom for drug trafficking; sentenced to nine years but was later released after two years in jail upon appeal. Not done with crime, he was again arrested in the UK in July 2011 for drug-related offences. He was granted administrative bail but jumped bail and fled to Nigeria.
“Typical of a recidivist, Ilomuanya was arrested in November 2018 in Nigeria by NDLEA operatives following the discovery of two clandestine methamphetamine laboratories in his Obinugwu, Orlu LGA country home in Imo state and at his No. 3 Barrister Declan Uzoma Close, Lagos house, where officers recovered 77.960 kilograms of methamphetamine and extensive production equipment.”
Babafemi said he was subsequently charged before a Federal High Court in Lagos but later jumped bail and had been on the run until his recent arrest.
NDLEA Chairman Buba Marwa welcomed the arrest, calling it a major breakthrough in the agency’s fight against drug trafficking networks.
Marwa stated that the arrest highlighted the agency’s commitment to collaborating with international partners to prevent Nigeria from being used as a hub for illicit drug activities, adding that the NDLEA would intensify intelligence-led operations and track down individuals involved in the illegal drug trade.
He also commended officers of the Special Operations Unit for their role in the operation and reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks operating within the country.
