NDLEA Freezes N9.8bn, Seizes Filling Station, Buildings, SUVs in Major Drug Bust

NDLEA Freezes N9.8bn, Seizes Filling Station, Buildings, SUVs in Major Drug Bust

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has declared a suspected drug kingpin and three of his associates wanted over their alleged involvement in operating a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory, producing illicit drugs and laundering proceeds from the illegal business. The agency also disclosed that it had frozen bank accounts linked to the suspects with a combined balance of N9,840,873,566.66 and secured interim forfeiture orders over several high-value assets allegedly acquired through drug proceeds. The suspects declared wanted are Nnamuka Kelvin Uchenna, popularly known as Odogwu; Emmanuella Chinonso Iroka; Nnamuka Ifeanyi Kingsley; and Ekechi Franklin Chijioke, also known as Ekene Okwunaga. According to the NDLEA, all four suspects have gone into hiding and are now fugitives from justice.

The declaration was based on an order granted by Justice Iniekenimi Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court in Owerri, Imo State, following an application filed by the NDLEA in Suit No. FHC/OW/CS/22/2026 on July 3, 2026. The case stems from the discovery of a clandestine methamphetamine-producing laboratory at Isiozi in Umuaka, Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State, on February 25, 2026. During the operation, NDLEA operatives recovered 18.4 kilograms of methamphetamine and other incriminating items. Subsequent investigations and forensic analysis linked the four wanted suspects to the illegal laboratory and the wider drug syndicate.

READ ALSO:

• FG Arraigns Three Suspects Over Abduction of Oyo Schoolchildren, Teachers
• All We Want Is Her Body – Mary Habila’s Father Pleads with IGP for Daughter’s Release
• Just in: Supreme Court Orders Final Forfeiture of Emefiele’s Assets, Ends Legal Battle

Through forensic financial investigation, NDLEA operatives traced and froze bank accounts linked to the suspects with a combined balance of N9,840,873,566.66. The agency also secured interim forfeiture orders covering multi-billion-naira assets allegedly owned by members of the syndicate. The seized assets include a filling station, multi-storey residential buildings, and four Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) with registration numbers: RLU 148 AJ, KJA 563 FZ, BWR 249 DY, and FST 208 HU.

Reacting to the development, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended the officers and operatives involved in the operation, describing it as a clear demonstration of the agency’s resolve to dismantle drug trafficking networks and disrupt the financial architecture that sustains them. “This latest operation reaffirms our unwavering commitment to tracking down drug kingpins and their collaborators, no matter how sophisticated their network or how long they attempt to evade justice,” Marwa said. “The discovery of this clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Njaba, and the subsequent freezing of nearly ten billion naira in illicit funds, alongside the forfeiture of a filling station, multi-storey buildings and four exotic SUVs, sends an unambiguous message that the illegal drug business is no longer a safe haven for criminals seeking to launder their ill-gotten wealth through legitimate enterprises,” he added.

Marwa assured Nigerians that the agency would not relent in going after the fleeing suspects and anyone else linked to the syndicate. He also appealed to members of the public with useful information on the whereabouts of the wanted suspects to report to the nearest NDLEA office or through the agency’s confidential lines.

NDLEA Freezes N9.8bn, Seizes Filling Station, Buildings, SUVs in Major Drug Bust