NDLEA Arrests 59-Year-Old Drug Baron Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff After 17 Years on the Run

After 17 years of evading authorities while trafficking illicit drugs worth billions of naira across the world, a 59-year-old wanted drug baron, Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at his hideout in the Ojo area of Lagos.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), disclosed the arrest during a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, March 3. He revealed that NDLEA’s Special Operations Unit had been tracking Ogbonnaya following an Interpol red notice and intelligence from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service.

“The major development that warranted this special briefing pertains to the arrest of a drug lord wanted worldwide as the leader of an international drug trafficking organization,” Marwa stated.

He confirmed that Ogbonnaya was apprehended on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, at No. 3, Ibukunoluwa Taiwo Close, off LASU Road, Lagos. The NDLEA had been investigating him prior to his arrest and had gathered substantial evidence proving his role as a notorious drug trafficker.

“Our records reveal that many Nigerians arrested abroad for drug-related offences were linked to him. He recruited young Nigerians as couriers to smuggle illicit substances into South Korea,” Marwa added.

Authorities also established that Ogbonnaya laundered drug proceeds through the importation of electronics and other goods. A search of his residence uncovered multiple Nigerian international passports belonging to different individuals, many of which had Korean visas. Additionally, illicit substances were discovered in a storehouse behind his house.

NDLEA has vowed to continue its crackdown on drug traffickers, warning that no criminal network is beyond its reach.