The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a 58-year-old suspected drug kingpin, Uzoma Valentine Ilomuanya, who had been on the wanted list of the agency and British authorities for over 15 years.
Ilomuanya was apprehended in Lagos on Monday, February 23, 2026, during a coordinated operation by officers of the agency’s Special Operations Unit.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said the suspect had a long history of drug-related offences spanning Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
According to the statement, Ilomuanya was first arrested and convicted in the UK in February 2003 for drug trafficking and sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment. However, he was released after serving two years following a successful appeal.
Babafemi said the suspect was again arrested in the UK in July 2011 for drug-related offences. Although granted administrative bail, he reportedly jumped bail and fled to Nigeria.
The statement further disclosed that in November 2018, NDLEA operatives arrested Ilomuanya in Nigeria after uncovering two clandestine methamphetamine laboratories—one at his residence in Lagos and another at his country home in Obinugwu, Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State.
During that operation, officers reportedly recovered 77.960 kilograms of methamphetamine and extensive drug production equipment.
