NDLEA Secures Court Order to Extend Detention of Billionaire Arrested with N8.8bn Worth of Tramadol
Wale Igbintade
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has secured an order of the Federal High Court in Lagos to detain a Lagos-based billionaire, Nsofor Kennedy Ugochukwu, a.k.a, Ugochukwu Nsofor Chukwukadibia, in its custody for a period of 14 days pending the conclusion of ongoing investigation.
Justice Akintayo Aluko made the order yesterday, following an exparte application by the NDLEA Prosecutor, Umar Hussain, seeking to empower the agency to remand the defendants in its custody for an initial period of 14 days.
In an affidavit in support of the Motion Exparte deposed to by one Kareem Olayinka Musibau, a litigation officer attached to the Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services at the NDLEA, he stated that the respondent was arrested at plot-2-130, Road 67 VGC Housing Estate along Epe Expressway in Lagos, on September 30, 2022, in connection to the seizure of 10,598 kilogrammes of tramadol, while dealing and conspiring to distribute same to his associates in Nigeria and other parts of the world.
“That the respondent is an illicit drug baron operating a drug trafficking organisation in collaboration with his associates in Nigeria and other part of the world.
“That this court has the powers under the law to make the orders sought on the motion paper. 9. That it will serves the interest of justice if this application is granted.”
NDLEA’s Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, had in statement said following credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives had on September 30, stormed the Plot A45 Road 2 home of the 52-year-old billionaire drug kingpin.
He had stated that a search of the expansive mansion had led to the discovery of 443 cartons of Tramadol Hydrochloride 225mg, which contains 13,451,466 pills of the drug while some cartons were already burnt in a fire incident in the house same day.
“Before his arrest, Ugochukwu who hails from Ihiala local government area of Anambra State has been on the Agency’s watch list as one of those behind the tramadol drug cartel in Nigeria.
“Preliminary investigation shows that he has about six mansions within the VGC, one of which he uses to warehouse the tramadol consignment, while he lives in the one at Plot Z-130 Road 67 and another as his office. Five exotic vehicles have also been located in two of his mansions, out of which two SUVs including a bullet jeep have been successfully removed to the Agency’s facility,” Babafemi said.
Babafemi said the arrest of Ugochukwu, who is the Chairman of Autonation Motors Ltd, came barely two months after the NDLEA uncovered a methamphetamine clandestine laboratory in the residence of another drug kingpin in the estate, Chris Emeka Nzewi, who was arrested on Saturday 30th July along with a chemist, Sunday Ukah, who cooked the illicit drug for him.
