The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has arrested a man described as a fugitive drug trafficker who had been on the run for more than 15 years. Uzoma Valentine Ilomuanya, aged 58, was detained in Lagos on 23rd February 2026 during what the agency called a coordinated operation by its special unit. The arrest was announced today.
According to the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, Ilomuanya was first arrested in the United Kingdom in February 2003, convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to nine years in prison. He was released after two years on appeal. He was later arrested again in the UK in July 2011 for drug-related offences, granted administrative bail, and subsequently fled to Nigeria.
The agency says Ilomuanya was arrested again in November 2018 after operatives uncovered two methamphetamine laboratories in Obinugwu, Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State, and at a residence in Lagos, where nearly 78 kilogrammes of methamphetamine and production equipment were recovered. He was charged before a Federal High Court in Lagos but jumped bail and had remained at large.
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NDLEA Chairman, Buba Marwa, said the latest arrest demonstrates the agency’s commitment to intelligence-led operations and international cooperation, warning that suspects cannot evade justice by crossing borders.
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