Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a wanted drug baron, Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff at his secret location in Ojo, Lagos, after 17 years of lying low to smuggle illicit drugs worth billions of naira across the globe.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, March 3.
Gen. Marwa revealed that operatives of its Special Operations Unit had been on the trail of Ogbonnaya following INTERPOL’s red notice alert and information from the National Intelligence Service of South Korea.
His words: “The major development that warranted this special briefing pertains to the arrest of a drug lord who’s wanted across the world as the leader of an international drug trafficking organisation. I am therefore pleased to announce this significant breakthrough in our efforts to dismantle drug trafficking syndicates operating within the country. As we have said four years ago when we began the reform of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), our prime targets are drug barons and other important figures that organise drug trafficking rings.
“On Wednesday, 12th February 2025, we achieved that objective in the successful arrest of Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff, a 59-year-old drug baron. The suspect was arrested at his hideout at No. 3, Ibukunoluwa Taiwo Close, off LASU Road, Lagos. He has been under NDLEA investigation before his arrest. As a result, we have comprehensive intelligence on his activities, and incontrovertible facts 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 offences 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 in a storehouse at the back of his house.”
He highlighted Ogbonnaya’s leadership role in the drug underworld, stressing that he “is not a typical domestic drug baron”.
“He is an international trafficker operating both from Nigeria and abroad. His dossier indicates that he served a one-year prison sentence in the Republic of Korea in 2007 and was deported to Nigeria in 2008. Despite this, he continued his illicit trade, remaining actively involved in drug trafficking operations to the Far East.
“Presently, he is wanted in the Republic of Korea for multiple drug trafficking offences in collaboration with his accomplices. An INTERPOL Red Notice was issued for his arrest and extradition to the country for offences committed between 2023 and 2024. From a series of interdictions, it has been established that Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff is the ringleader of a drug trafficking organisation responsible for smuggling narcotics into the People’s Republic of Korea.
“He has been orchestrating operations remotely by 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,” Marwa stated.
The NDLEA boss further pointed out the findings of the suspect’s Illicit trade activities upon investigations.
“On 5th October 2023, at a location in Burkina Faso, the suspect dispatched 6,051.06 grams of skunk, concealed in dried chillies and jujube, to a Korean, Kim Dong Wook at a designated address in Jinju City, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea. The package arrived at Incheon Airport on 19th October 2023 at 07:20 am via Air France.
“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 time alone, he has sent illicit drugs worth over ₦1.4billion in street value to South Korea.”
He continued: “Ogbonnaya maintains another domestic carrier, identified as “Asa”, who delivers for him drug consignments to a warehouse operated by Okori Emmanuel, a Nigerian who is 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 offence punishable by a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.”
Marwa assured the agency’s commitment to ensuring that Nigeria does not serve as a base for international drug trafficking operations stating that, “We will continue our relentless fight against illicit drug networks and their financiers, in line with our mandate to safeguard public health and national security.”
He emphasised that the arrest of Ogbonnaya is an affirmation of NDLEA’s resolve to work with its international partners to ensure that no drug baron finds Nigeria as a comfort zone to distribute illicit substances within the country or traffic them to other countries.
