NDLEA Arrests UK-Wanted Drug Kingpin After 15 Years

Uzoma Valentin Ilomuanya, a 58-year-old fugitive drug suspect, was apprehended by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Lagos on February 23, 2026, after being on the run for 15 years. According to NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, Ilomuanya has a long history of drug-related offenses, including his first arrest in February 2003 in the UK, where he was convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to nine years in prison.

He was released after serving two years following a successful appeal. Ilomuanya was again arrested in the UK in July 2011 for drug-related offenses but jumped bail and fled Nigeria in November 2018.

His recent arrest followed the discovery of two clandestine methamphetamine laboratories in Lagos, where 77,960 kilograms of methamphetamine and extensive production equipment were recovered. NDLEA Chairman Buba Marwa described the arrest as a significant breakthrough in the agency's efforts against drug trafficking networks and reaffirmed their commitment to dismantling such operations within Nigeria.