Manhunt for Alleged Drug Lord, Associates in NDLEA Meth Lab Bust

By Omoyeni Ojeifo

A massive manhunt is underway after the NDLEA targeted suspected drug baron Nnamuka Kelvin Uchenna, alias “Odogwu,” and three of his accomplices.

The group is accused of operating a hidden meth lab and laundering illicit drug proceeds.

The other wanted persons are Emmanuella Chinonso Iroka, Nnamuka Ifeanyi Kingsley and Ekechi Franklin Chijioke, aka Ekene Okwunaga.

According to a statement emailed to Persecondnews on Friday by NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the suspects were declared wanted following an order by Justice Iniekenimi Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court, Owerri, Imo State.

According to the agency, the order followed an application filed by the NDLEA before the court on July 3, 2026, in suit number FHC/OW/CS/22/2026.

The application arose from the discovery of a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory at Isiozi in Umuaka, Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State, after NDLEA operatives raided the facility on February 25, 2026, recovering 18.4 kilograms of methamphetamine and other items.

Subsequent investigations linked the four wanted suspects to the methamphetamine laboratory.

The suspects have since gone into hiding, according to the agency.

The agency said forensic investigations by operatives led to the freezing of bank accounts linked to the suspects.

The accounts had 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).

The NDLEA 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.

The vehicles bear registration numbers RLU 148 AJ, KJA 563 FZ, BWR 249 DY and FST 208 HU.

Retired Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa, while commending officers and operatives involved in the operation,described it as a clear demonstration of the agency’s resolve to dismantle drug trafficking networks and disrupt their financial structures.

He stated:“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 a clear message that the illegal drug business is no longer a safe haven for criminals seeking to launder their ill-gotten wealth through legitimate enterprises.

“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.”

Marwa appealed to members of the public with useful information on the whereabouts of the wanted suspects to report to the nearest NDLEA office or through the agency’s confidential lines, reaffirming the agency’s commitment to ridding communities of drug trafficking and its social and economic consequences.