The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has been plunged into mourning following the sudden death of its Cross River State Commander, Chief Narcotics Officer Ogbonna Uzoma.
Director, Media & Advocacy at the NDLEA Headquarters in Abuja, Femi Babafemi, confirmed the incident in a statement on Friday. He said Uzoma, who assumed duty on August 18, 2025, was discovered lifeless in his Calabar hotel room on Thursday after failing to show up for scheduled assignments.
Babafemi explained: *“CN Ogbonna had been up and doing at his new Command and was billed to lead his officers on some scheduled engagements at 10am on Thursday 18th September 2025. But when his officers didn’t hear from him by 9am, they went to his hotel room in company of the hotel staff while several knocks at his door and calls to his telephone line went unanswered.
“Attempts by the hotel staff to open or force the door open from outside failed, after which one of the attendants had to go through the ceiling aperture to enter the room and open the door from inside, where they found the Commander’s lifeless body.”*
The NDLEA spokesperson said the state police were immediately alerted. “The Police Command in the state was promptly informed, after which the Commissioner of Police personally visited the scene, while the police continue with investigation of the cause of death,” he added.
To support the inquiry, NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd.), directed the Zonal Commander, Zone 14, ACGN Mathew Ewah, to relocate to Calabar.
“The Chairman/Chief Executive has since directed the Zonal Commander to move to Cross River to assist police investigation,” the statement noted.
While the cause of Uzoma’s death remains unknown, the NDLEA assured of full cooperation with ongoing investigations.
Commiserating with the family, Marwa said: “The Agency stands with the family in this trying moment, and we pray that God will comfort them and grant the departed eternal rest.”
Although his tenure was short, Uzoma was described as energetic and committed. He had resumed leadership duties in August and was already engaging officers in operational planning.
Cross River has been a major theatre of NDLEA operations in recent years. In June 2025, the agency destroyed a 30-hectare cannabis farm in the state and recorded multiple seizures of illicit drugs.
Advertisement
