The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested 58-year-old fugitive drug suspect Uzoma Valentine Ilomuanya, who had been wanted by Nigerian and British authorities for more than 15 years.
Ilomuanya was apprehended on Monday, February 23, 2026, at a location in Lagos during a coordinated operation by the NDLEA’s Special Operations Unit.
NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi said on Wednesday that Ilomuanya had a long record of drug-related offences in both Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
He recalled that the suspect was first arrested in the UK in 2003, convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to nine years before being released after two years following an appeal.
Babafemi added that Ilomuanya was again arrested in the UK in July 2011 and granted administrative bail but fled to Nigeria.
In November 2018, he was arrested in Nigeria after two clandestine methamphetamine laboratories were uncovered at his residences in Obinugwu, Orlu LGA and Barrister Declan Uzoma Close, where officers recovered nearly 78kg of methamphetamine and equipment.
He was later charged before the Federal High Court but jumped bail and had been on the run until his recent arrest.
Babafemi described the latest operation as “a significant blow to international drug trafficking networks.”
Reacting, NDLEA Chairman/CEO Buba Marwa said the arrest reflects the agency’s commitment to dismantling drug cartels.
He stated, “This breakthrough reinforces our resolve to work with international partners and ensure Nigeria is never a safe haven for drug traffickers.”
Marwa commended the Special Operations Unit for its role, saying the NDLEA would continue strengthening intelligence-driven strategies to track and apprehend high-profile traffickers.
The development comes shortly after the NDLEA announced the arrest of another suspected drug baron, Reginald Chidiebere, who had reportedly been in hiding for 13 years over alleged involvement in cocaine and heroin shipments.
