NDLEA Declares Four Suspects Wanted in Methamphetamine Lab Case
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has declared an alleged drug kingpin, Nnamuka Kelvin Uchenna (a.k.a Odogwu), and three of his associates wanted. They are Emmanuella Chinonso Iroka, Nnamuka Ifeanyi Kingsley, and Ekechi Franklin Chijioke (a.k.a Ekene Okwunaga). The suspects are wanted for their involvement in establishing a clandestine laboratory, producing methamphetamine, and laundering drug money.
In a statement released on July 17, 2026, the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said the suspects were declared wanted based on an order from Justice Iniekenimi Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court in Owerri, Imo State. The order followed an application by the NDLEA in suit number FHC/OW/CS/22/2026, filed on July 3, 2026.
Discovery of Meth Lab and Frozen Funds
Babafemi explained that the development followed the discovery of a methamphetamine-producing clandestine laboratory on February 25, 2026. NDLEA operatives recovered 18.4 kilograms of the illicit substance and other items at Isiozi in Umuaka, Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State. Investigations later linked the wanted suspects to the meth lab, and they have since gone into hiding.
“Through forensic investigation of the meth syndicate by NDLEA operatives, bank accounts linked to the wanted suspects with a combined balance of Nine Billion, Eight Hundred and Forty Million, Eight Hundred and Seventy Three Thousand, Five Hundred and Sixty Six Naira, Sixty Six Kobo (N9,840,873,566.66) only was frozen,” Babafemi said. The agency has also secured interim forfeiture orders covering multibillion-naira assets owned by members of the syndicate, including a filling station, multi-storey residential buildings, and four Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) with registration numbers RLU 148 AJ, KJA 563 FZ, BWR 249 DY, and FST 208 HU.
NDLEA Chairman Commends Operatives
Reacting to the development, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers and operatives involved in the operation. He described it as a clear demonstration of the agency’s resolve to dismantle drug trafficking networks and disrupt the financial architecture that sustains them.
“This latest operation reaffirms our unwavering commitment to tracking down drug kingpins and their collaborators, no matter how sophisticated their network or how long they attempt to evade justice. The discovery of this clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Njaba, and the subsequent freezing of nearly ten billion naira in illicit funds, alongside the forfeiture of a filling station, multi-storey buildings and four exotic SUVs, sends an unambiguous message that the illegal drug business is no longer a safe haven for criminals seeking to launder their ill-gotten wealth through legitimate enterprises,” Marwa stated.
Appeal for Public Assistance
Marwa assured Nigerians that the agency will not relent in going after the fleeing suspects and anyone else linked to the syndicate. “We will continue to deploy financial and forensic intelligence to trace, freeze and forfeit assets acquired through drug trafficking, just as we will not hesitate to invoke the full weight of the law against fugitives who think they can hide from justice,” he said.
The NDLEA chairman appealed to members of the public with useful information on the whereabouts of the wanted suspects to volunteer such information to the nearest NDLEA office or through the agency’s confidential lines. “We remain committed to ridding our communities of the scourge of drug trafficking and its attendant social and economic harm,” Marwa added.
