The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has arrested a wanted drug baron, Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff, 17 years after a manhunt was launched for him.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), in a press briefing on Monday, said the arrest brings to an end a reign of hiding in the dark to ship illicit drugs worth billions of naira across the world.
Marwa said Jeff was arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at his hideout in the Ojo area of Lagos.
The NDLEA Boss said operatives of its Special Operations Unit had been on the trail of Ogbonnaya following an Interpol red notice against him and information from the National Intelligence Service of South Korea.
While unmasking the suspect’s leadership role in the drug underworld, the NDLEA boss said, “Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff is not a typical domestic drug baron; he is an international trafficker operating both from Nigeria and abroad. His dossier indicates that he served a one-year prison sentence in the Republic of Korea in 2007 and was deported to Nigeria in 2008.
Despite this, he continued his illicit trade, remaining actively involved in drug trafficking operations to the Far East.
Presently, he is wanted in the Republic of Korea for multiple drug trafficking offences in collaboration with his accomplices. An INTERPOL Red Notice was issued for his arrest and extradition to the country for offences committed between 2023 and 2024.
Marwa assured of NDLEA’s commitment to ensuring that Nigeria does not serve as a base for international drug trafficking operations.
