The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has confirmed the sudden death of its Cross River State Commander, Chief Narcotics Officer Ogbonna Uzoma, who was discovered lifeless in his hotel room in Calabar.
Director of Media and Advocacy at the NDLEA Headquarters, Femi Babafemi, announced the development in a statement on Friday, describing the officer’s passing as a painful loss to the agency.
According to Babafemi, the late commander, who assumed office on August 18, 2025, was scheduled to lead his team on official duties by 10 a.m. on Thursday but failed to show up.
“When his officers could not reach him by 9 a.m., they proceeded to his hotel room with the hotel staff. Several knocks on his door and calls to his phone went unanswered,” Babafemi explained.
He narrated how hotel attendants eventually gained access: “Attempts to open the door from outside failed until one of the staff climbed through the ceiling aperture to unlock it from inside, where the commander’s lifeless body was found.”
The incident was immediately reported to the police. “The State Commissioner of Police personally visited the scene, and investigations into the cause of death are ongoing,” Babafemi added.
In response, NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd.), directed the Zonal Commander, Zone 14, ACGN Mathew Ewah, to relocate to Calabar and support the investigation.
Marwa also expressed condolences to the bereaved family. “This is a deeply sad moment for the Agency. We stand with his family and pray for God’s comfort and for the eternal rest of our departed colleague,” he said.
Though his tenure in Cross River was short, Uzoma was said to have been actively engaging his officers from the time he assumed duty. The state has recently been central to the NDLEA’s operations, with major cannabis farms destroyed and significant drug seizures recorded.
The agency assured that further details on the circumstances of his death will be made public as investigations progress.
