By Deborah Nnamdi
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested a wanted 59-year-old international drug baron, Ogbonnaya Jeff. He was apprehended at his hideout in the Ojo area of Lagos after 17 years of evading authorities.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Monday, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), said the agency’s Special Operations Unit had been tracking Ogbonnaya following an Interpol Red Notice against him and intelligence from the National Intelligence Service of South Korea.
He stated that the agency had gathered incontrovertible evidence of Ogbonnaya’s activities, including his recruitment of young Nigerians as drug couriers to smuggle illicit substances into the Republic of Korea.
“On Wednesday, February 12, 2025, we arrested Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff, a 59-year-old drug baron. The suspect was apprehended at his hideout at No. 3, Ibukunoluwa Taiwo Close, off LASU Road, Lagos. He had been under NDLEA investigation before his arrest. As a result, we have comprehensive intelligence on his activities and incontrovertible facts confirming that he is a notorious drug lord who recruited young Nigerians as couriers to smuggle illicit substances into the Republic of Korea (South Korea).
“Our records reveal that many Nigerians apprehended outside the country for drug-related offenses were linked to him. Furthermore, we have established that he laundered drug proceeds through the importation of electronics and other goods. Following his arrest, a search of his residence led to the recovery of multiple Nigerian international passports belonging to different individuals, many of which contained Korean visas. Additionally, we recovered some illicit substances stored at the back of his house.”
Marwa said Ogbonnaya had previously served a one-year prison term in South Korea in 2007 before being deported to Nigeria in 2008. However, he resumed his illicit operations, orchestrating drug shipments to the Far East.
“Presently, he is wanted in the Republic of Korea for multiple drug trafficking offenses in collaboration with his accomplices. An INTERPOL Red Notice was issued for his arrest and extradition to the country for offenses committed between 2023 and 2024.
“From a series of interdictions, it has been established that Ogbonnaya is the ringleader of a drug trafficking organization responsible for smuggling narcotics into the People’s Republic of Korea. He has been orchestrating operations remotely, giving instructions to drug mules and domestic suppliers who are members of his syndicate spread across Cameroon, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Liberia, and other East and Southern African countries.”
“Investigation reveals that while residing in Nigeria, he directed his drug couriers, Santa Elizabeth Pieterse and Carl Yohan Stephan Brisman, to smuggle a total of five kilograms of methamphetamine into South Korea via overseas flights between December 2023 and April 2024. In recent times alone, he has sent illicit drugs worth over N1.4 billion in street value to South Korea.
“Ogbonnaya maintains another domestic carrier, identified as ‘Asa,’ who delivers drug consignments to a warehouse operated by Okori Emmanuel, a Nigerian who serves as his supply manager in South Korea. As of now, two arrest warrants have been issued against Ogbonnaya by the Seoul Central District Court in January and June 2024. These warrants charge him with importing narcotic drugs in violation of Article 3-7 of South Korea’s Narcotics Control Act, an offense punishable by a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.”
Marwa, however, reaffirmed the NDLEA’s commitment to ensuring that Nigeria does not serve as a base for international drug trafficking operations.
