Korede Abdullah 
LAGOS, Nigeria – Nigeria’s anti-drug agency arrests a 58-year-old fugitive drug lord after more than 15 years on the run, dealing a blow to international trafficking networks operating between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on Wednesday says Uzoma Valentine Ilomuanya was apprehended in Lagos on Monday, February 23, 2026, during a Special Operations Unit sting.
“His arrest ends a long-standing cat-and-mouse game with the law,” the agency says, citing years of intelligence-led tracking.
Ilomuanya was first arrested in the UK in 2003 and sentenced to nine years for drug trafficking, serving two years after a successful appeal. He was rearrested in 2011, granted administrative bail, and fled to Nigeria.
In 2018, NDLEA operatives uncovered two clandestine methamphetamine laboratories linked to him—one in Obinugwu, Orlu LGA, Imo State, and another at his Lagos residence—recovering 77.960 kilograms of meth and production equipment. He jumps bail again and disappears until the latest operation.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Mohamed Buba Marwa calls the arrest “a significant breakthrough.”
“This serves as a stern warning,” Marwa says. “Whether you jump bail abroad or set up labs at home, the long arm of the NDLEA will catch up.”
The agency says it will pursue prosecution, deepen international cooperation and continue intelligence-driven operations to disrupt cartels that threaten public health and national security.
About the Author
Chukwu Obinna 
Edino Chubiyo Cornelius 
Oluwatobi Adu 
Hussaini Ibrahim